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BUREAU  Of  GOVERNMENTAL  RESEARU. 

LIBRARY 

+0  tiHRARY  BUM  DING 


/■ 


LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 

THE  CITY  BEAUTIFUL 


BUREAU  OF  GOVERNMENTAL  RESEARCH 

LIBRARY  y 

44  LIBRARY  BUILDING 


Acknoivlcdgiiicjit   is   cordially    tendered    tn    the    iiuiiiy    business   houses   and 
indiz'iduals  zi'ho  by  tlicir  courtesy  made  this  [publication  possible. 

The  Commission  is  likezuise  indebted  to  The  William  Graham  Photo  Co.  for 
the  tine  originals  from  zchieh  tlie  Los  Angeles  plates  zverc  made. 


/ 


Piess  of  Times-Mirror  Printing  &  Binding  House 
Los  Angeles.  Cal. 

Plates  from  American  Engraving  &  Electrotype 
Company,  Los  Angeles.  Cal 


/ 


{^111 


ojc^u  I  ir u J^ 


Conclusion. 


I  shall  waste  no  s])acc  in  a  final 
suniniino-  up.  All  through  the  report 
1  liave  tried  to  show  what  I  thought  should  be  the 
numicipal  ideal  toward  which  Los  Angeles  should 
develop — the  point  of  view  that  should  be  taken.  Not 
to  be  simply  big;  but  to  be  beautiful  as  well.  Not  to 
he  content  with  narrow,  crowded  streets,  with  mean- 
ness of  aspect  and  a  modeling  after  cities  where  lives 
must  be  spent  indoors :  but  to  be  spacious,  handsome, 
as  a  capital  city,  the  streets  alluring  one  out  of  doors, 
and  offering  so  many  drives  and  giving  one  so  much 
to  do  that  tourists  will  not  pass  through  Los  Angeles. 
The\-  will  stay  here,  in  a  real  "Paris  of  America," — a 
.summer  city,  when  the  East  is  swept  by  wind  and 
snow ;  and  they  will  find  a  gay  outdoor  life  wdiere 
other  cities  are  stamped  with  the  grime  and  rush  of 
an  earnestness  that  knows  not  how  to  play.  It  is  a 
'.cautiful,  enviable  role.  It  involves  outside  drives 
as  well  as  those  within  the  city,  but  even  the  latter 
develop  into  an  admirable  system  and  at  amazirigly 
low  cost.  Yet  in  all  the  development  there  will  be 
great  gain  if  the  city  can  obtain  that  authority  which 
the  cities  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  have  already 
secured,  and  by  which  the  great  municipal  improve- 
ments of  Europe  and  South  America  have  been 
tinnnccd — the   right   to   acquire   property  on   the  edge 


of  a  public  improvement,  in  order  to  protect  that  im- 
provement, and  to  recoup  the  cost  of  making  it  by 
the  resale  of  the  property  at  the  enhanced  value  which 
the  improyemcnt  bestows.  I  refer  you  to  the  Phila- 
delphia law  in  particular.  It  would  be  well,  too.  for 
the  city  to  make  such  contracts  with  the  owners  of 
property  abutting  on  the  boulevards  and  parkways  as 
is  made  by  the  city  of  Cleveland  with  such  owners. 
And  there  must  not  be  fear  that  the  plans  are  too 
elaborate,  that  Los  Angeles  will  be  doing  too  nuich. 
.\s  this  is  written,  I  received  a  report  of  the  work  in 
Rio  de  Janeiro.  A  loan  of  $36,000,000  was  negotiated 
in  1903  for  improvements ;  in  the  construction  of  a 
single  central  boulevard,  five  hundred  and  ninety 
buildings  were  destroyed :  twenty  miles  of  other 
streets  were  widened,  and  the  parks  connected  by  a 
.system  of  boulevards.  The  redemption  of  Los  An- 
geles, its  rebuilding  on  splendid  lines — which  we  have 
seen  can  be  so  easily  accomplished — would  be  a  far 
better  investment  than  that.  It  is  estimated  that  in 
Paris  Americans  alone  spend  $20,000,000  every  year. 
But  there  is  a  higher  than  financial  argument  for  bet- 
tering the  city  which  is  your  home  and  which  your 
children  will  inherit.  The  one  thing  needed  is  some- 
thing which  Los  Angeles  is  said  to  have,  viz :  Tliat 
spirit  which  looks  ahead,  which  grasps  big  ideas,  which 
is  ready  to  |)ul!  together  for  the  city's  good. 


Respectfully  sul)mitte( 


No\EMBER,    1907. 


CHARLES  AR'LFORD  ROBINSON. 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIF0RNL4 


BEAUTY     AND    UTILITY    OF    PERMANENT  HIGHWAYS 


Good  county  liighways  are  an  essential  part  of 
any  scheme  for  ci\-ic  improvement  of  a  cit\-.  As 
no  man  builds  a  tine  home  without  priiper  walks 
and  driveways  leadiny  to  it — not  dependinj^'  on  by- 
paths and  nuuldy  trails — so  no  "city  beautiful"  can 
really  be  such  without  permanently  and  perfectly 
built  approaches  in  the  way  of  good  rock  highways, 
for  the  country  is  the  dooryard  of  the  city,  and  must 
be  treated  as  such  in  a  perfected  scheme  of  civic 
beauty. 

Mr.  Charles  Mulford  Robinson,  the  celebrated 
civic  architect,  states  that  in  his  opinion  the  suljurban 
roads  are  essential  in  carrying  out  such  a  plan,  and 
that  their  permanent  improvement  is  imperative. 

The  citizens  of  Southern  California  are  largely 
recruited  from  the  pick  of  the  Eastern  states.  They 
put  up  with  the  long  journey  and  heavy  expense  of 
coming  here  because  they  recognize  that  this  is  the 
most  delightful  region  on  earth  in  which  to  live. 
They  know  of  the  charms  of  ocean  and  mountain, 
foothill  and  valley,  ranch  and  villa  and  the  joys  of 
life  out  of  doors.  They  demand  that  these  attractions 
shall  be  put  within  their  reach ;  and  only  by  a  com- 
prehensive   system    of    permanent    country    highways 


can  this  be  done.  The  day  of  nnukh-  or  dusty  trails 
is  gone  by ;  people  of  means  and  education  demand 
something  better. 

Europe  long  ago  learned  her  good  roads  lesson : 
supplied  the  best  roads  and  scenic  attractions  and  in- 
vited the  world  to  come  and  enjoy  them.  The  flood 
of  tourists  through  Europe  every  year  is  constantly 
growing  and  is  a  never-failing  source  of  large  revenue 
and  income,  practically  supporting  some  countries. 
The  tourist  trade  here  is  already  immense,  in  spite 
of  the  drawbacks  of  execrable  roadways.  With 
smooth,  mudless,  dustless  highways  such  as  are  "^o 
common  abroad,  and  with  climatic  and  scenic  attrac- 
tions superior  to  any  Europe  can  offer,  what  might 
not  this  phase  of  travel  become  ?  It  only  takes  good 
roads  to  make  all  the  rest  a  certainty. 

Los  Angeles  County  has  bonded  itself  for  $3,500,- 
000  to  build  307  miles  of  macadam  roads  in  Los 
Angeles  County.  When  this  system  of  roads  is  built 
there  will  be  nineteen  roads  centering  in  Los  Angeles 
making  it  possible  to  reach  every  incorporated  city 
in    the    county   over    a   beautiful    macadam    roadway. 

The  work  is  now  well  in  hand,  and  will  be  com- 
pleted probably   within   two  years. 

F.    W.    Bl-vnchard. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


^^HD 


mo 


COUNTY 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIFORNIA 


BRIDGE  CONSTRUCTION  IN  THE  CITY  OF  LOS  ANGELES 


The  Los  Angeles  River  and  its  tributary,  the 
Arroyo  Seco.  are  spanned  1iy  bridges  at  all  main 
thoroughfares.  There  are  at  the  present  time  lo 
bridges  built  and  maintained  by  the  city  over  the 
river,  four  over  the  Arroyo  Seco.  three  over  the 
Arroyo  de  Los  Posos.  and  others  across  water 
courses  in  various  parts  of  the  city. 

The  earlier  policy  was  to  consider  first  cost  alone 
and  construct  the  cheapest  and  narrowest  bridge  that 
would  serve  the  purpose.  Then  a  few  steel  bridges 
across  the  river  were  constructed,  and  these  at  the 
time  of  erection  were  thought  to  be  permanent.  They 
are  of  the  truss  or  the  girder  type,  which  is  inherently 
unsisrhth-,  and  thev  have  also  other  shortcomings.    To 


At  all  main  thoroughfares,  however,  when  the  old 
bridge  is  outgrown,  a  new  one  is  designed  with  three 
objects  in  view — namely,  to  make  it  permanent,  ade- 
quate for  possible  future  needs  and,  at  the  same  time, 
sightly.  Its  permanency  is  insured  by  building  en- 
tirely of  reinforced  concrete,  which  does  not  rot  or 
rust,  costs  nothing  to  maintain  and  grows  stronger 
with  age.  To  provide  for  possible  future  require- 
ments, the  roadway  is  made  of  the  same  width  as  the 
street  and  the  superstructure  designed  for  loads  im- 
probable at  the  present  day.  Very  few  concrete 
bridges  erected  during  the  last  few  years  in  the 
L'nited  States  or  Europe  are  as  wide  as  those  now 
being  constructed  in  Los  .Angeles.     The  aesthetic  side 


Biiena  Vista 


reduce  the  first  cost — too  often  the  governing  factor 
in  the  design  of  public  works  in  small  cities — the  pos- 
sibility of  future  growth  was  overlooked  and  these 
steel  bridges  were  made  too  narrow  for  present-day 
requirements,  so  that  the  city  now  has  some  viaducts 
which  are  inadequate  and  unsightly,  but  still  too 
serviceable  to  discard  It  is  a  matter  for  congratula- 
tion that  more  "permanent"  steel  truss  bridges  were 
not  erected. 

It  is  now  the  policy  of  the  Board  of  Pul)lic  Works 
to  recommend  cheap  wooden  bridges  only  in  outlying 
districts  and  occasionally  for  more  important  cross- 
ings where  a  temporary  bridge  can  serve  the  purpose 
until  funds  are  available  for  a  more  pretentious 
structure. 


is  tikcn  care  of  by  adopting  the  arch  form  and  b}- 
special  treatment  of  the  concrete  surfaces.  On  each 
side  is  built  an  ornamental  stone  balustrade  with 
lighting  posts  over  the  piers,  and  other  architectural 
ornamentation  is  employed  in  keeping  with  the  char- 
acter of  the  structure.  Furthermore,  as  parallel 
bridges  at  the  same  crossing  are  undesirable  from  the 
aesthetic  point  of  view,  one  structure  is  made  to  serve 
both  the  city  and  the  street  railway  company. 

Three  such  bridges  are  now  being  constructed  by 
the  city  from  plans  prepared  in  the  Bridge  Depart- 
ment of  the  City  Engineer's  Office,  and  a  fourth  will 
soon  be  commenced. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


The  rirnoklyn-aveniK'  liridsjc  over  the  Arroyo  de 
Los  Posos,  fathered  by  Coiincihnan  E.  L.  Blanchard. 
replaces  an  old  wooden  trestle.  It  serves  a  large  dis- 
trict in  Pioyle  Heights  and  was  built  on  such  a  line 
and  grade  as  to  remove  a  sharp  curve  and  dip  which 
had  been  the  cause  of  accidents  and  loss  of  life.  It 
was  paid  for  jointly  by  the  city  and  the  Pacific  Elec- 
tric Railway-  Co.  It  consists  of  three  arch  spans  of 
concrete  and  is  264  feet  long  over  all  This  bridge  is 
unique  in  being  built  on  the  steepest  grade  of  any 
masonry  bridge  in  existence.  To  accommodate  rail- 
way tracks  underneath,  the  piers  are  on  a  skew  to 
the  street,  and  are  consequently  higher  at  one  end 
than  at  the  other,  so  that  there  is  scarcely  a  level  line 
or  right  angle  in  the  structure.  The  total  cost,  ex- 
clusive  of   the    sum    of   $14,900.00   paid    for   land    to 


quate  structure  could  be  erected.  It  serves  an  im- 
jxjrtant  and  growing  district  on  the  east  side  and  will 
carry  both  local  and  interurban  cars.  The  river, 
which  is  300  feet  wide,  is  spanned  by  three  elliptical 
arches.     It  will  cost  when  completed  $116,000. 

The  old  East  Main-street  bridge  has  long  been 
insufficient  for  both  street  railway  and  highway 
traffic,  and  the  city  and  the  Los  Angeles  Railway  Co. 
are  now  constructing  a  joint  bridge  at  this  crossing 
to  cost  about  $96,500.  Its  authorization  is  due  to 
Councilman  Bernard  Healy.  The  bridge  will  consist 
of  three  88-foot  arch  spans.  To  secure  sufficient 
waterwa}-,  the  arches  are  quite  flat  and  abut  against 
massive  steel  hinges  which  are  concealed  from  view. 
Lights  will  be  carried  by  concrete  shafts  over  the 
piers. 


■3ouTH      ^LCVATIOry 


Street  Bridge. 


/ 


straighten  Brooklyn  avenue,  was  $68,400.  This  ex- 
penditure, which  provided  a  structure  that  will  be  not 
only  permanent  but  an  ornament  to  the  city,  was 
justified  by  the  fact  that  there  is  no  bridge  in  Los  An- 
geles that  will  be  seen  each  day  by  as  many  people 
as  will  this  one.  In  addition  to  the  Brooklyn-avenue 
cars,  which  pass  over  it,  all  Interurban  cars  to  Pasa- 
dena, Alhambra,  Covina  and  other  suburbs  pass  by  or 
under  it. 

Another  concrete  arch  bridge  is  being  constructed 
jointly  with  the  street  railway  companies  across  the 
Los  Angeles  River  at  Seventh  street.  The  old  wood 
truss  bridge  at  this  point  was  washed  out  five  years 
ago  and  a  temporary  trestle,  placed  north  of  the  site 
has  been  made  to  answer  the  purpose  until  an  ade- 


Tlie  coiiiract  will  soon  be  let  for  the  lUiena  Vista- 
street  viaduct.  This  structure  will  be  placed  about 
midway  between  the  present  Pasadena  and  Downey- 
avenue  bridges,  and  will  extend  from  the  Fremont 
Gate  entrance  to  Elysian  Park  across  the  tracks  of  the 
Southern  Pacific,  Santa  Fe  and  Salt  Lake  Railroad 
Companies,  and  the  Los  Angeles  River  to  Pasadena 
and  Downey  avenues.  These  two  thoroughfares  will 
be  connected  to  the  viaduct  by  means  of  new  streets 
80  feet  wide,  making  a  "Y"  with  the  angle  at  the  end 
of  the  bridge  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river.  The  Los 
Angeles  Railway  Co.  will  run  its  Pasadena-avenue 
and  Downey-avenue  cars  on  double  tracks  over  the 
new  bridge,  thus  doing  away  with  the  long  delays  at 
its   present   Buena    Vista-street   single  track   crossing. 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIF0RNL4 


Seventh  SrmzT  Srjdse 


The  old  highway  and  street  railroad  bridges  on  Pasa- 
dena avenue,  both  of  which  are  outgrown,  will  be 
abandoned  and  removed.  Buena  Vista  street  will  be 
widened  to  80  feet  for  its  entire  length,  sharp  humps 
in  grades  and  angles  eased  off  and  the  half  mile  of 
unsightly  board  fence  along  the  railroad  frontage 
removed. 

There  will  bejio  more  important  or  sightly  avenue 
into  and  out  of  the  city  than  Buena  Vista  street  when 
these  improvements  are  completed.  It  will  be  the 
main  route  to  the  San  Fernando  Valley  and  to  Pasa- 
dena and  outlying  suburbs  via  darvanza  and  High- 
land Park,  and  is  one  of  the  desirable  improvements 
emphasized  by  Charles  Mulford  Roliinson  in  his  plan 
for  the  City  Beautiful. 

The  main  feature  is  the  Buena  \'ista-street  via- 
duct, which  was  first  urged  four  years  ago  by  R.  W. 
Dronigold,  the  present  Councilman  from  the  First 
Ward,  who  has  shown  an  indefatigable  interest  in  the 
proposition  and  to  whose  efforts  its  consunmiation 
will  be  largely  due.  Last  year  the  City  Council  made 
,an  appropriation  therefor,  but  the  work  could  not  be 
gotten  under  way  because  of  the  difficulties  involved 
in  working  out  the  details  of  easements  with  the  rail- 
road companies  concerned,  due  partly  to  the  obstinacy 
of  the  City  Engineer's  department  in  insisting  on  ob- 
taining room  for  piers  in  the  railroad  yards  to  permit 
of  an  all  concrete  arch  bridge  instead  of  a  long,  ugly 


steel  truss  span  over  railroad  tracks,  which  was  first 
regarded  as  a  matter  of  course. 

The  final  plans  provide  for  seven  arch  spans  vary- 
ing from  104  to  119  feet  long.  The  total  length  of  the 
bridge  proper  is  968  feet.  The  endeavor  has  been  to 
produce  a  monumental  structure  with  appropriate  arch- 
itectural embellishment,  but  without  profuse  ornamen- 
tation. On  each  side  over  the  piers  will  be  circular  bays 
projecting  from  the  sidewalk  and  supported  by  Doric 
columns.  At  either  end  of  the  viaduct  will  be  two 
lions  in  concrete.  An  ornamental  concrete  balustrade 
will  extend  along  the  sides,  carrying  lighting  posts  at 
the  bays.  The  total  cost  of  the  improvement  will  be 
about  $295,000,  which  sum,  however,  the  Los  Angeles 
Railway  Co.  will  assume  its  just  share  of  the  expense. 

The  total  cost  of  the  four  bridges  will  be  about 
$590,000.  of  which  sum  the  street  railway  companies 
pay  approximately  30  per  cent.  All  of  these  bridges 
lie  within  view  of  railroad  trains  entering  the  city. 
Thev  will  be  daily  crossed  by  thousands  who  live  east 
of  the  Los  Angeles  River,  and  will  be  an  important 
factor  in  helping  to  create  the  City  Beautiful.  The 
City  Council  and  Board  of  Public  Works  have  shown 
wise  foresight  in  waiving  the  question  of  first  cost  and 
providing  for  the  erection  of  structures  which  will  be 
not  onlv  permanent  an<l  adequate,  but  also  artistic. 

Homer  Hamlin, 

Citv  Engineer. 


Main  3treet  Dr.dse. 


^ 


REPORT 


OF  THE 


MUNICIPAL  ART  COMMISSION 


FOR  THE  CITY  OF 


Los  Angeles,  California 


Made  to  THE  MAYOR 

THE  CITY  COUNCIL 

THE  BOARD  OP  PUBLIC  WORK/ 


BY 


F.  W.  BLANCHARD,    President 
JOHN  W.  MITCHELL,  Secretary 
JOHN  PARKINSON 
MRS.  W.  J^  WASHBURN 
MRS.  SUMNER  P.  HUNT 


Alumcipal  Art  Commission 


PUBLISHED  BY 

WILLIAM  J.  PORTER 

LOS  ANGELES 
1909 


THE  CITY  BEAUTIFUL 


SUGOESTIONJ 

BY 

CHARLES    nULFORD    ROBINSON 

ROCHESTER,    N.    Y. 

Author  of  Modern  Civic  Art,  Etc. 


Together  With  Plans  and  Pictures 
Illustrative  of  His  Subject 


FIFTY  MILLION  DOLLARS  FOR  IMPROVEMENT/ 

PROVIDED  FOR  AND  CONTEMPLATED 


GOOD  ROADS  AT  THREE  AND  A  HALF  MILLION/ 
THE  AQUEDUCT  AT  TWENTY  -  FOUR  MILLION/ 
CIVIC  IMPROVEMENTS  AT  OVER  TWENTY  MILLION/ 


The  Honorable,  the  Mayor,  City  Coiiiieil  and  Members  of  the  Miiiiieipal  Art  Coniiiiis.tion, 

Los  Angeles,  California. 


Sirs  : — In  accordance  witli  your  instructions,  I 
have  examined  the  city  of  Los  Angeles  and  have  pre- 
pared such  suggestions  and  reconmiendations  for  its 
improvement  and  beautification  as  were  practicaljle  in 
the  hmited  time  allotted. 

It  earl}-  became  evident  to  me  that  to  give  to  this 
advice  the  greatest  possible  value,  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  restrict  my  investigation  to  those  portions  of 
the  city  in  which  conditions  were  most  rapidly  be- 
coming fixed.  It  was  advisable  to  take  up  these,  be- 
cause liere  improvements  would  atfect  the  greatest 
number  of  people  and  delay  would  prove  most  likely 
to  be  fatal  to  the  successful  carrying  out  of  improve- 
ment plans.  Such  portions  of  the  city  include  the 
business  district  and  all  the  more  thickly  settled  parts 
of  Los  Angeles,  When  it  is  realized  that  these  con- 
tain four  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  graded  streets, 
laid  down  at  the  whim  of  individual  land  owners  and 
absolutely    without    comprehensive    system;    that    the 


a  unanimity  of  interest  and  a  zeal  in  execution  which 
more  diiTuse  plans  would  not  at  this  time  have  re- 
ceived. And  out  of  such  study  there  should  incident- 
ally arise  a  more  virile  civic  consciousness,  a  realiza- 
tion of  the  oneness  of  interest  in  the  improvement  of 
Los  Angeles,  a  sense  of  cohesiveness  rather  than  of 
competition  between  the  different  parts  of  the  cit\ ,  in 
realization  that  what  is  done  for  any  particular  sec- 
tion— if  it  be  done  in  accordance  with  a  broad  and 
comprehensive  scheme — is  done  for  all.  It  is  not  this 
street  nor  that  street,  nor  this  ward  nor  that  ward, 
Init  LOIS  ANGELES  for  which  we  are  to  take  our 
stand,  that  it  may  be  better  planned  and  more 
beautiful. 

The  financial  phase  of  the  problem  is  onlv  second 
in  importance  to  the  sentimental.  I  have  been  sur- 
prised to  observe  that  there  has  been  an  idea  abroad 
that  I  had  set  out  to  make  plans  the  execution  of  wdiich 
would  cost  a  certain  siuu.     Xothing  could  have  been 


The  Civic  Center  That  Denver  Is  About  to   Realize. 


topography  is  exceedingly  \ariecl ;  and  that  in  ten 
months  more  than  ten  thousand  buililiug^  are  erected 
in  the  region  covered,  there  is  a])i)reciated  the  im- 
mensity of  the  problem  and  its  im])ortance,  even 
when  thus  restricted.  It  would  have  been  tlesirable, 
and  more  satisfactory  to  have  been  alile  to  include  in 
my  survey  a  broad  belt  of  surrounding  country,  that 
the  city's  gri>\\t]i  (i\-er  it  might  In-  plannecl  for  in 
advance. 

Yet  the  survey  ami  resulting  suggestions  here  sub- 
mitted will  give  to  Los  Angeles  much  to  think  of 
and  much  to  do.  And  because  it  does  deal,  not  with 
.)utlying  districts  in  whicli  the  ])aramount  interest 
would  be  local,  but  with  the  city  as  a  unit — with 
tlinse  portions  which  in  a  sense  are  the  property  of 
all  the  citizens  in  comniDU,  with  business  streets,  and 
connecting  parkways  and  bnulewinls,  it  mav  command 


further  from  my  pur|)ose.  In  case  of  sickness  does  a 
physician  undertake  ti>  .give  only  a  certain  number  of 
dollars'  worth  of  cure?  I  set  myself  no  goal  in  dollars 
to  be  expended.  1  assumed  that  Los  Angeles  was  big 
enough  and  rich  enough,  and  Ijrave  enough,  and  had 
enough  confidence  in  itself,  to  do  wdiat  was  necessary 
and  worth  while ;  and  my  study  has  been  only  this : 
What  does  the  city  need,  how  can  certain  conditions 
be  best  improved,  and  will  the  proposed  remedy  be 
worth  its  cost  ? 

Xot  all  of  the  changes  will  he  made  at  once.  Some 
of  them  will  stretch  over  a  term  of  many  years,  and 
of  them  it  would  be  foolish  to  estimate  the  present 
cost,  for  before  the}-  are  carried  out  values  will 
change.  Others  may  be  executed  in  the  natural  course 
of  development  and  will  mean  a  saving  to  the  city 
rather  than  any  additional  cost,    Finalh',  I  do  nut  pre- 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIFORNIA 


sume  to  dictate  when  the  work  shall  be  done.  I 
simplv  make  a  plan,  submitting-  the  improvements 
which  I  believe  advisable  and  which  would  lift  Los 
Angeles  into  the  class  of  progressive  cities  that  are 
developing  themselves  on  modern  lines.  The  time  for 
carrying  out  the  plans  rests  with  the  business  sense 
and  civic  pride  of  the  citizens  of  Los  Angeles. 

A  word  may  be  said,  however,  as  to  the  profit 
and  loss  in  executing  great  municipal  improvement 
schemes.  I  know  of  no  city  in  the  United  States 
which  has  so  much  to  gain  by  making  itself  civically 
attractive.  In  most  municipalities  the  direct  gain  to 
the  citizens,  in  their  personal  convenience  and  enjoy- 


lish  beautiful  parks  and  has  connected  them  by  scenic 
drives ;  St.  Louis  and  Denver  are  planning  civic  cen- 
ters to  cost  millions  of  dollars,  and  outer  systems  of 
parks  and  drives  reaching  miles  into  the  country ; 
Columbus  is  having  worked  out  for  it  a  scheme  of 
grandiose  proportions ;  Harrisburg  and  Cleveland  are 
already  famous  for  the  projects  that  with  them  are 
under  way — and  what  has  St.  Paul,  St.  Louis,  Colum- 
bus, Harrisburg  or  Cleveland  to  expect  in  resulting 
profit  compared  to  what  Los  Angeles  would  have  ? 
I  shall  not  argue  the  matter  further,  I  desired 
in  introducing  my  Report  only  to  put  three  ideas 
definitely  before  you.  for  the  better  understanding  of 
the    recommendations.     These   are,   that   the    sugges- 


Plaiis  of  the   Capitol  Approaches   Commission.   St.   Paul,   Jlinii.,   Showing 
the  Great  New  Parkways  To  Be  Opened  Through  the  City. 


ment,  is  the  only  consideration  worth  counting  upon, 
anything  beyond  that  being  more  or  less  of  a  gamble. 
With  you,  already  the  tourist  metropolis  of 
the  country,  the  indirect  jirofit  through  the  at- 
traction and  retention  of  outsiders  is  certain 
and  enormous.  And  you  simply  cannot  afford 
to  stand  still, — or,  rather,  with  your  increasing 
population,  to  go  from  bad  to  worse,  as  you 
would,  in  congestion,  in  city  discomfort  and  ugliness, 
and  in  paucity  of  municipal  effectiveness.  The  travel, 
for  the  most  part  coming  from  cities  that  are  im- 
proving themselves,  would  turn  away.  For  other 
cities  are  improving  themselves :  St.  Paul  is  preparing 
to  create  parkways  and  malls  and  a  civic  center  on  an 
immensely  ambitious  plan,  after  it  has  already  estab- 


tions  are  restricted  to  the  present  city  limits,  not 
through  failure  to  appreciate  the  importance  of 
broader  planning,  but  because  with  limited  time  it  was 
necessary  to  do  the  most  important  work  first :  that 
there  has  been  no  effort  to  prescribe  a  cure  which 
would  cost  a  certain  number  of  dollars ;  but  to  show 
the  city  what  could  best  be  done,  utilizing  as  much 
as  possible  that  which  the  city  now  has,  to  tie  it  to- 
gether into  a  homogenous  entity,  more  convenient, 
more  beautiful,  more  metropolitan  and  in  line  with 
modern  ideas  of  city  building;  and,  finally,  that  to  do 
this,  even  at  some  slight  immediate  sacrifice,  would 
be  abundantly  worth  the  city's  while.  With  these 
thoughts  in  mind,  we  may  take  up  our  study. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


*  '■ 

By  Co\irtesy  of  the  City  Plan  Commission,  Grand  Rapids.  The  Civic  Center  on  Which  Cleveland  Is 
Spending  from  Fifteen  to  Eighteen  Million  Dollars.  The  Large  Structure  at  the  Far  End  of  the 
Mall  Is  To  Be  the  New  Union  Station.  Nearly  All  the  Ground  for  this  Civic  Center  Has  Been 
Cleared;  Two  of  the  Great  Buildings  Have  Been    Already   Erected,   and   Others   Are   Underway. 


The  Problem. 


The  problem  offered  by  Los  Ange- 
les is  a  little  out  of  the  ordinary.  Here 
is  a  large  center  of  population,  which  has  at- 
tained its  importance  quickly — almost  suddenly.  As 
a  consequence,  it  is  not  unlike  a  child  who  has  out- 
grown his  clothes.  The  old  garments  are  uncom- 
fortably filled,  crowding  and  cramping  him,  and  be- 
yond them  he  stretches  out  in  long,  sprawling  legs 
and  arms.  For  miles  around,  plain  and  valley  and 
hill  are  laid  out  in  streets,  without  system  as  regards 
the  city  as  a  whole — sprawling,  rambling,  disjointed, 
while,  in  the  longer  settled  and  central  portions  the 
overcrowding  is  very  great,  the  facilities  inadequate 
to  the  demands  upon  them  by  the  traffic  and  giving 
none  of  that  civic  eft'ectiveness  which  is  looked  for 
in  the  modern  city,  and  which  a  city  so  new  as  Los 
Angeles  is  in  fact,  and  so  much  a  tourist  Mecca,  par- 
ticularly needs. 

But  there  are  certain  favorable  factors,  too.  The 
topography  is  varied  and,  with  the  natural  splendor 
of  the  city's  environs,  is  adapted  to  give  to  it  extra- 
ordinary beauty,  if  only  the  opportunities  be  fittingly 


availed  of;  the  recentness  of  the  city's  growth  has  left 
available  to  this  time  an  unusual  number  of  chances 
for  improvements  at  a  cost  which  is  low  compared  to 
what  other  cities  are  paying  for  similar  eft'ects ;  the 
exceptional  importance  to  Los  Angeles  of  making 
itself  attractive  to  strangers  is  a  helpful  factor ;  and 
best  of  all  is  the  abounding  faith  of  the  citizens  in 
their  city,  their  confidence  of  its  future  greatness,  and 
their  courage  to  meet  that  future  by  adequately  pre- 
paring for  it.  It  is  a  city  that  needs  generous  im- 
provement plans,  and  that  is  abundantly  worth  im- 
proving, and  whose  people  are  courageous. 

In  my  study  of  the  situation,  I  find  suggestions 
grouping  themselves  under  three  general  heads. 
These  are :  First,  scattered  general  notes  on  what 
can  be  done  here  and  there  to  better  the  aspect  of  the 
streets ;  second,  three  large  improvement  schemes  for 
the  business  district,  these  involving  considerable 
street  changes ;  third,  a  parkway  and  boulevard  system, 
with  some  park  suggestions.  I  will  take  uj)  the  groups 
in  the  order  given. 


GENERAL  SUGGESTIONS -THE  BUSINESS  DISTRICT 

Beginning  with  the  business  streets,  I    lielieve    is    tlu'    handsomest    in    the    United    States, 

and  postponing  discussion  for  the  pres-  It    is    the    one    respect    in    which    Los    Angeles    now 

ent  of  large  imi)rovement  schemes,  I  takes  in   municipal   development   that   foremost   place 

may  jiroperly  take  up  first  the  lighting  system.     This  which   it   ought    in   nian\-   ways   to  have.      The   lights 


Street 
Lights. 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIEORNL-1 


are  so  fine,  the  effects  on  the  streets  so  beautiful 
and  so  rare  in  this  country,  that  they  deserve  all 
the  protection  and  development  you  can  give  to  them. 
In  substitution  for  the  vivid  and  cheapening  green 
paint  now  used,  the  standards  should  be  treated  to 
look  like  bronze.  They  should,  also,  be  kept  clean. 
Dust  i.s  now  allowed  to  lie  thickly  upon  them.  It 
would  be  no  great  hardship  for  the  merchants,  who 
already  show  so  much  public  spirit  in  maintaining  the 
lights,  to  have  their  janitors  dust  off  the  standards 
in  front  of  their  own  premises  every  night;  but  the 
better  way  would  be  for  the  city  to  take  care  of  this 
matter.  After  the  streets  are  swept  each  evening, 
one  man  could  make  the  rounds,  cleaning  off  the  orna- 
mental standards.  Then  the  switch  boxes  of  the 
street  railroad  shoidd  be  raised  a  little,  in  order  not  to 
break,  as  now,  the  long  lines  of  lights,  the  perspective 


view  of  many  lights  being,  possibly,  the  system's  most 
beautiful  feature.  Incidentally,  the  switch  boxes  them- 
selves should  be  of  artistic  design,  harmonizing  with 
the  light  standards.  I  append  a  photograph  showing 
the  type  of  switch  tower  used  in  Washington,  a  type 
which  could  well  be  used  here.  Finally,  the  protection 
of  the  beauty  of  the  lights  by  the  prohibition  of  flash- 
ing and  glaring  electric  signs  across  the  sidewalk — a 
prohibition  in  which  Los  Angeles  is  setting  an  ex- 
ample of  which  it  has  great  reason  to  be  proud,  should 
by  all  means  be  continued.  This  ordinance  and  the 
lights  which  it  protects,  are  giving  to  the  city  a  dis- 
tinction at  night  which  no  other  city  in  the  nation  has. 
Effects  elsewhere  are  cheap,  gaudy  and  claptrap  by 
comparison.  Broadway,  New  York,  is  as  far  behind 
Broadway,  Los  Angeles,  in  this  respect,  as  is  the 
Bowery  jaehind  the  Champs  Elysees. 


Broadway 


Hill    Street 


Spring   Street 


Ocean    Park 


Jr 


In  Los  .\ngelfs  There  .A.i'e  Already  Installed  Six  Miles  of  Ornamental  Lamp  Posts.  These  Posts  .A-re  Placed 
Opposite  Each  Other  on  Either  Side  of  the  Street,  110  Feet  Apart.  Making  Los  Angeles  the  Most  Beauti- 
fully Lighted  City  in  the  World.  The  Plates  Shown  Are  Reproduced  by  Courtesy  of  the  Llewellyn  Iron 
Works. 


Street 


For     the     junction     of     JMain     and 
.  1     •  •         Spring  streets,  and  of  Broadwav  and 

Irregularities,  gprjn^^  j  here  submit  no  plan.'  But 
as  tile  business  district  extends  to  include  these 
points,  as  it  must  very  shortly  do,  they  will  become 
of  increasing  importance  to  the  city.  It  would  be 
possible  for  the  municipality  to  treat  them  effectively, 
and  the  far  conspicuousness  of  the  narrow  gore  to 
persons  approaching  them  from  the  south,  makes  them 
well    worth    development    in   the    city's   beautification. 


If  left  to  private  owners,  they  must  either  remain 
practically  unimproved,  owing  to  their  small  area  and 
bad  shape,  or  they  will  present  an  architectural  knife 
edge  as  unpleasant  as  that  of  the  Flatiron  Building 
in  New  York.  The  city  should  acquire  them.  In 
Paris  such  sharp  corners  are  beautifulh'  utilized  in  the 
business  districts  by  fountains,  like  the  JNIoliere,  and 
when  Los  Angeles  has  the  Owens  River  supply,  it 
might  well  make  a  feature  of  these.  In  fact,  even 
now  there  might  be  more  use  of  water  visibly  than 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


Tlie  Fontaine  Mollere,  Paris.  Tills  Has  Been  Placed  in  Such  Acute 
Angle.  Formed  at  the  Buikling  Line  by  Converging  Streets,  as  is 
Illustrated  in  Los  Angeles  by  the  Convergence,  for  Example,  of  Main 
and  Spring  Street,^.     The  Point  Is  One  of  Great  Civic  SignificancG. 


there  is,  considering  the  attracti(]n  of  water  in  this 
eHinate.  There  wonld  be  little  waste  in  lettin.^-  it  flow 
nut  of  a  pipe  into  a  basin,  and  then  from  the  basin 
into  a  pipe  again  for  future  use ;  and  that  tlow  from 
]iil)e  to  basin,  whether  it  be  a  fall  or  a  jet  into  the 
air,  can  be  made,  in  sight  and  sound,  an  exceedingly 
altraetive  feature  on  sunny  streets. 

The  angle  in  Spring  street,  north  of  h'irst.  is — as 
all  such  angles  are — needless  and  ugly,  and  it  must 
1ie  hojjed  that  when  a  new  building  is  erected  there 
the  turn  will  I)e  made  in  a  curve. 

Main  street,  at  Jefferson,  is  suddenly  narrowed. 
The  great  length  of  this  street,  its  fine  development 
further  south,  and  its  importance  should  make  no 
argument  necessary  for  its  broadening  here  to  a  uiii- 
form  width  while  there  is  yet  opportunity,  h'roin 
.-u-ound  the  historic  little  Plaza,  the  drays,  which  now 
form  an  almost  impenetraljle  barrier,  shouUl  be  or- 
dered elsewhere. 


Beautifying 
Intersections. 


RESIDENTIAL     STREETS. 

What  has  been  said  of  the  gores 
in  the  business  section  holds  true  in 
great  measure  throughout  the  city. 
The  city  of  Washington  owes  very  much  of  its 
lieauty  to  ilu'  de\elo[)ment  of  such  spaces  into  little 
parks.  •  There  are  large  mimbers  of  them  there — as 
there  are  here — and  when  improved  the\'  bring  a 
beauty  into  the  street  system — which  is  to  say  into  the 
very  structure  of  the  city — which  nothing  else  will  do. 
When  Los  Angeles  sets  seriously  about  the  task 
of  making  herself  beautiful,  as  we  must  hope  she  is 
preparing  now  to  do,  she  will  doubtless  authorize  a 
readjustment  of  the  municipal  machinery  as  regards 
the  park  commission,  giving  to  it  much  more  authoritv 
than  now  (as  other  cities  have  successfully  done)  and 
making  membersiiip  upon  it  a  great  honor.  Then  the 
development  of  all  such  spaces,  antl  tiie  acquirement 
of   them    for    such    purposes,   will    be   naturally    looked 


LOS     AXGELES,     CALIFORNIA 


after  by  the  park  commission.  I  have  said 
there  were  many  spaces  of  the  kind  here.  A  few 
e.xamples  are  the  following,  and  there  is  need  only 
to  think  how  great  an  improvement  the  beautifica- 
tion  of  these  would  make  to  realize  how  important 
a  part  they  may  play  in  a  more  beautiful  Los  Angeles : 
The  intersection  of  Pasadena  avenue.  Twenty-eighth 
and  Workman  streets,  passed  every  day  by  thousands 
of  people  and  by  nearly  all  the  tourists ;  Alanitou  ave- 
nue, Albion  and  Twenty-first  streets,  where  the  junc- 
tion is  very  awkward ;  Boyle  avenue  and  First  street ; 
^^ermont  avenue  and  McClintock,  to  go  to  the  other 
side  of  town ;  West  W'ashington  and  La  Salle  streets ; 
Lake  Shore  avenue  at  First  and  Beaudry ;  Main  street 
where  at  Thirty-seventh  it  makes  the  bend,  or 
Figueroa  and  California. 

Everv  one  of  these  and  many  more  such  spaces 
should  be  beautified,  and  to  do  this  would  be  so  well 
worth  while  that  the  neighbors  should  undertake  it 
themselves,  if  the  city  will  not.  Where  flowers  grow 
as  luxuriantly  as  they  do  here,  no  heavy  cost  would 
be  involved  and  the  shame  of  leaving  neglected  such 
opportunities  is  the  greater.  Once  improved  by  the 
neighbors,  it  is  very  likely  that  the  city  would  con- 
tinue the  work.  But  it  would  be  altogether  better  if 
the  city,  with  its  ability  to  secure  good  plans  and  to 
adjust  these  to  a  larger  scheme  than  merely  the  im- 
provement of  p  neighborhood,  should  have  control 
of  the  work   from  the  first. 

The  entrances  to  the  tunnels  should 
also  be  taken  in  hand  by  the  park  and 
art  commissions ;  and  the  city  should  lower  the  grade 
of  the  Broadway  tunnel,  cutting  it  down  at  the  south 
end,  even  if  California  street  had  to  be  closed  to 
teaming  at  Broadway.  The  block  to  Temple  is  so 
short  that  this  would  work  no  hardship  which  could  be 
com])ared  for  a  moment  to  the  city's  gain. 


shelter  at  Washington.  Los  Angeles  should  be  keen 
to  avail  herself  of  every  helpful  suggestion  which 
other  cities  can  offer. 


Tunnels. 


A  Trolley  Waiting  Station  in  Washington,  liuilt  Over  the 
Sidewalk — an  Inexpensive  and  Artistic  Shelter  Which. 
Properly  Placed,  May  be  an  Ornament  as  Well  as  a 
Convenience  on  the   Public   Way. 


It   would   be  a   great   convenience 


if  shelters  were  constructed  at  sunny 


Waiting 

corners,  where  street  railway  passen- 
gers are  many  and  the  normal  sidewalk  traffic  will 
permit.  They  can  be  made  attractive,  sometimes  wnth 
tiled  roofs  and  soinetimes  of  inconspicuous  construc- 
tion, as  the   example  shown   in   the  illustration   of  a 


Lawn  and  Parking  Treatment  so  Much  Desired  for  Civic 
Beauty. 


Side 
Parkings. 


On  nearly  all  the  residential 
streets  the  side  parking,  between 
walk  and  curb,  is  too  narrow.     This 


is  one  of  the  greatest  faults  of  Los  Angeles  and  one 
of  the  most  inexcusable.  It  is  the  one  which  detracts 
more  perhaps  than  does  any  other  one  thing  from 
the  beauty  of  the  city.  The  streets  are  amply  broad 
to  permit  more  generous  parking  and  in  an  all-the- 
year-round  simimer  city,  good  parking  would  be  a 
great  attraction.  Parking  that  is  a  foot  to  eighteea 
inches  wide  cannot  be  properly  taken  care  of,  and  con- 
sequently is  not  an  ornament  but  a  detriment ;  park- 
ing that  is  three  feet  to  five  feet  wides  does  not  allow 
sufficient  room  for  the  healthy  growth  of  trees,  and 
hears  no  proper  relation  to  streets  as  wide  as  those  of 
Los  Angeles.  Finally,  no  impression  of  urban  great- 
ness and  bigness  is  given  by  a  roadway  wider  than 
the  traffic  demands.  The  impression  is  nearer  that 
civen  by  a  boy  stalking  about  in  his  father's  hat. 
The  roadway  is  not  taken  care  of,  only  a  meandering 
strip  of  it  is  used,  and  the  whole  waste  is  dusty  and 
dirty.  Aside  from  the  efi'ect,  the  needlessly  wide 
roadway  is  costly  to  construct  and  costly  to  maintain. 
Every  argument,  in  short,  is  in  favor  of  the  widest 
practical  parking  and  the  narrowest  practical  drive- 
way on  residential  streets.  Nor  are  these  arguments 
only  aesthetic  and  financial.  The  change  makes 
equally  for  the  comfort  of  pedestrians,  whom  the  wide 
parking  saves  from  spattering  mud  and  dust ;  and  it 
makes  for  the  householder's  benefit  in  giving  him 
more  front  yard,  his  house  a  better  setting,  and  in 
removing  further  from  the  house  the  dust  and  noise 
of  the  street. 

As  to  the  width  of  roadway  necessary,  a  recent 
SNiuposium  of  the  engineers  of  some  of  the  most  prom- 
inent cities  in  the  country  gave  twenty-five  feet  as 
ample  width  for  all  residential  streets  that  were  not 
arterial  or  that  were  not  reserved  for  boulevard  use. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


No   Better   Example   of  Lawn   and   Park   Effect   Can   Be    Found   in    Southern   California 
Than  This   Beautiful   Street   in  Los   Angeles. 


This  was  siq-nificatit  as  adding-  the  testimony  of  prac- 
tical city  engineers  to  the  conchisions  that  had  been 
independently  reached  by  landscape  architects.  If  on 
all  but  the  shortest  streets  of  Los  Angeles,  still 
barring  out  boulevards  and  arterial  thoroughfares,  the 
width  were  decreased  to  even  thirty  feet,  it  is  obvious 
that  the  sixty  and  eighty-foot  residential  streets  of  this 
city  would  allow  much  more  space  between  lot  line 
and  curb  than  is  now  generally  devoted  here  to  that 
purpose,  and  that  as  a  result  the  city  would  seem 
much  more  up-to-date,  as  well  as  more  beautiful  to 
the  eye,  than  with  the  waste  of  roadway. 

Fortunately,  the  extensive  paving  of  residential 
streets  has  very  recently  commenced  here,  and  while 
a  good  many  curbs  have  been  laid,  it  is  not  too  late 
to  correct  the  mistakes  and  add  immensely  to  the 
pleasure  of  the  street  and  to  the  beauty  of  the  city 
by  widening  the  side  parking.  In  many  cases  the 
resulting  saving  in  pavement  construction  and  main- 
tenance would  pay  the  cost  of  relaying  the  curb. 
Even  on  arterial  streets,  a  roadway  of  fifty  feet  is 
likely  to  Ix^  generous.  I  may  name  as  types  of  streets 
that  should  have  their  side  parking  increased.  Hill 
street  in  the  High  School  neighborhood ;  Harvard 
boulevard,  a  street  deliberately  laid  out  to  be  beauti- 
ful, and  then  marred  by  timidity  as  to  parking  ;  Boyle 
avenue ;  and  North  Olive  street  at  the  hill.  The  lat- 
ter is  so  steep  that  there  is  little  traffic  on  it,  and  if 
the  road  were  here  made  narrow  and  the  street  lawn 
on  either  side  made  wide,  we  should  not  onlv  have  a 
stretch  of  street  more  sensible  and  beautiful  in  itself, 
but  one  that  would  make  a  very  delightful  picture,  in 


contrast  to  the  present  slide  of  dust,  when  seen  from 
lower  Olive  street  and  from  the  streets  which  cross 
that.  And  this  thoroughfare,  let  it  be  repeated,  is  a 
type.  The  suggestion  is  one  of  those  of  which  the 
execution   does   not   cost  money,   but   saves  it. 

I  dislike  to  make  a  hard  rule  for  the  width  of  side 
parking,  as  conditions  vary  slightly  in  different 
streets,  but  it  is  an  unusual  sixty-foot  residential 
street  in  Los  Angeles  that  will  not  bear  at  least  an 
eight-foot  parking  on  each  side.  That  would  give  a 
thirty-foot  roadway,  eight  feet  of  parking  and  a  six- 
fdcit  walk  put  one  foot  from  the  lot  line.  And  it  is  a 
rare  eighty-foot  street,  if  it  be  not  burdened  with  an 
exceptionally  heavy  arterial  traffic,  on  which  the  side 
parking  cannot  be  widened  to  at  least  twelve  feet. 
It  must  be  remembered  that  this  narrowing  of  the 
drivewav  is  a  verv  different  thing  from  narrowing 
the  street.  Should  there  ever  come  such  change  in 
the  character  of  a  neighborhood  that  the  road  became 
inadequate,  it  would  then  be  an  ca.sy  matter,  involv- 
ing no  change  of  street  width,  to  subtract  something 
from  the  parking. 

_  Another  unpleasant  feature  of  Los 

.\ngclcs  residential  streets,  which 
ought  ti>  have  a  beauty  that  would  be  the  despair  of 
most  cities,  is  the  considerable  jjcrsistence  of  the 
fences  in  front  of  projierty  and  lietwcen  lot  lines. 
This  is  a  relic  of  other  days  and,  in  its  idea,  of  other 
lands.  For  probably  the  most  nationally  distinctive 
contribution  of  America  to  the  science  of  more 
beautiful  city  building,  is  the  abolition  of  fences  on 
residential   .streets.     To  make  one  park   of  many,   to 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIF0RNL4 


A  City  Street  .Made  Beautiful  by  Broad  Side- 
parlving  and  Open  Lawns. 


give  up  a  measure  of  privacy  and  individualism  for 
the  greater  good  of  all,  is  the  .\merican  ideal  on  the 
street  of  homes.  This  leaves  all  lawns  open  as  far 
back  as  the  building  line,  increasing  the  seeming 
width  of  the  street  by  just  that  much  of  garden  on 
either  side,  while  from  the  building  line  back  there 
may  be  all  the  privacy  anv  one  desires.  With  the 
beautiful  lawns  and  luxuriant  flowers  of  Los  Angeles, 
a  general  co-operation  in  this  respect  would  add  much 
to  the  beauty  of  the  cit' . 


Trees. 


The  trees,  largely  as  a  result  of 
the  inadequacy  of  the  reserved  strips 
between  walk  and  curb,  are  very  poor  on  the  Los 
Angeles  residential  streets.  The  recent  a])pointment 
of  a  city  forester,  however,  is  a  hopeful  step  in  the 
right  direction.  He,  with  his  real  love  of  the  tree, 
may  be  depended  upon  to  influence  sentiment  and 
guide  development  in  the  right  direction.  The  great 
needs  are  more  tree  planting,  more  uniformity  in  the 
kind  of  tree  set  out  in  different  streets,  and  in  their 
spacing — even  the  small  trees  used  here  should  be 
thirty  feet  apart.  Then  there  shuuld  1)e  better  trim- 
ming. The  peppers  especially  are  allowed  to  hang 
far  too  low.  In  recognition  of  these  needs,  which 
are  most  tirgent,  the  forester  should  be  given  a  greater 
authority  than  he  now  has,  and  a  considerably  larger 
appropriation.  It  would  be  worth  while  to  make  this 
generous  and  give  him  a  good  force  of  men  for  .some 
years,  until  present  delinquencies  have  been  made  up 
and  the  city  started  right.  I  may  add,  in  response 
to  a  request,  that  the  palm  is  not  in  my  estimation  a 
good  street  tree,  except  where  a  most  formal  ettect  's 
desirable. 

The  school  yards  are  inexcusably 
Ixitl.  From  an  architectural  stand- 
point, the  school  buildings  also  are 
very  bad  as  a  rule,  but  it  is  less  easy  to  change  them. 
The  yards  ought  at  once  to  be  taken  in  hand,  and  it 
will  be  possible  to  give  a  great  deal  of  lieauty  to  them 


School 
Yards. 


without  trespassing  to  any  extent  on  play  space. 
Progressive  cities  are  turning  their  attention  more 
and  more  to  the  beautification  of  the  school  yards,  be- 
cause of  the  effect  on  the  children  and  through  them 
on  the  homes,  quite  as  much  as  for  the  improvement 
of  these  pieces  of  public  property.  Stopping  at 
Dubuque.  Iowa,  on  m\-  way  here,  I  found  that  a 
landscape  architect  from  Chicago  had  been  brought 
out  there  a  few  weeks  before,  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
making  artistic  planting  plans  for  the  school  yards. 
Compare,  for  a  moment,  the  wealth  of  Los  .\ngeles 
and  Dubuque,  the  climatic  conditions  and  the  num- 
ber of  visitors  whom  this  work  in  the  respective 
places  would  favorably  impress.  A  good  point  of 
beginning  for  the  local  work  would  be  the  High 
School,  of  which  the  grounds  have  been  lately  con- 
siderably enlarged.  A  useful  and  interesting  plan 
could  be  worked  out  there.  Vegetation  shoukl  out- 
line the  boundaries,  and  fill  the  building  corners. 
p.  J  In   the  matter  of  children's  play- 

^^  ■     grounds.    Los    Angeles    is    taking    a 

worthy  position.  With  the  sociological  aspect  of 
these  the  present  discussion  must  not  concern  itself. 
It  is  necessary,  however,  to  point  out  that  as  fast  as 
the  facilities  for  pla\- — the  first  requisite — have  been 
provided,  serious  effort  should  be  made  to  bring 
more  of  beauty  into  the  playgrounds.  Beauty  also 
has  a  sociological  work  to  do.  In  the  designing  of 
the  Field  houses  this  has  been  kept  well  to  the  fore. 
They  are  just  what  they  ought  to  be,  and  the  deco- 
ration of  the  grounds  should  bfe  brought  up  to  their 
standard.  In  doing  this,  the  co-operation  of  the  chil- 
dren is  to  be  enlisted. 

The  River  '^'^''   river  presents  a  very  serious 

l)rol)lem.  and  one  which  cannot  be 
solved  with  entire  aesthetic  satisfaction.  The 
great  depth  of  sand  seems  to  make  impracticable 
any  scheme  of  dams  for  holding  the  water,  and  a 
river  bed  that  for  the  most  of  the  year  is  drv  and  that 
has  on  both  of  its  banks  a  railroad  is  not  an  attrac- 
tive object.  But  this  at  least  should  be  done:  The 
removal  of  sand  should  at  once  be  organized  on  a 
business-like   basis,    so   that    the    work   shall    be    done 


tlMi\,iii^    ihe    Soutlit'iii    C'aliforuia    Sentiment    for 
tlie   Live  Oal;. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


A    Los    Angeles    Street    Showing    Natural    Tree    Growth. 


htiiiiaiiely  as  respects  the  teamiiiij,  orderly,  evenly 
and  with  due  respect  for  city  property.  Tlie  bed  of 
the  river  should  be  cleaned  of  its  rubbish  and  kept 
clear ;  and  along  the  banks  there  should  be  planted 
willows  and  sycamores.  These  would  probably  do 
well  and  would  make  a  varied  and  beautiful  screen 
of  verdure.  Finally,  the  bridges  are  now  about  as 
ugly  as  they  can  be.  As  these  are  replaced,  hand- 
some structures  should  be  substituted.  The  bridges, 
especially  over  a  stream  of  this  character,  should 
seem  as  little  as  possible  like  bridges  when  one  is 
upon  them  and  as  much  as  possible  like  improved  bits 
of  street.  To  that  end,  they  should  be  luade  of  uni- 
form wiilth  with  the  street,  thev  should  be  well 
])aved  and  lighted  and  they  should  be  freed  of  over- 
head braces.  The  concrete  arch  now  makes  prac- 
ticable a  bridge  that  is  beautiful  at  no  more  cost  than 
the  old  ugly  iron  bridge  of  the  railroad  type.  In  the 
l)tiilding  of  these  new  bridges,  the  grade  crossings  of 
the  railroads,  arc,  of  course,  to  1)e  eliminated. 

There  nnist  lie  one  wnrd  more  of 
gent'ral  comment.  The  portion  of 
tile  cii\  wliicli  might  be  most  lx;auti- 
ful  and  piclures(nie — all  that  northern  section  with  its 
chain  of  rolling  hills — is  being  utterl\-  ruined  through 
the  mistaken  greed  atid  ignorance  of  real  estate  spec- 
ulators. \\\\\\  the  exce])tion  of  a  very  few  tracts,  on 
which  are  laid  out  beautiful  winding  roads  that  fol- 
low the  contour,  there  is  a  ruthless  slashing  into  hill- 
sides, a  strai)])ing  of  them   down   by  absunl   "--treets." 


Street 
Platting. 


which  mount  over  the  top  in  straight  lines  of  impos- 
sible grade,  and  a  filling  and  cutting  that  would  make 
even  a  railroad  blush  for  the  destruction  of  scenery. 
It  is  little  wonder  that  po])ulation  has  been  so  largely 
driven  to  the  flat  and  uninteresting  plain  at  the  south- 
west,   rather    than    to    these    ruined    hills    with    their 
beautiful  views,  bracing  air  and  lovely  cai'ions.     San 
Francisco,  jirobably  the  worst  exaiuple  in  the  world, 
has  been  taken  as  the  model ;    there  are  attempts  to 
put   Chicago-like  gridiron   street   systems   on   a  strik- 
ingly    picturesque     landscape.       The     speculator    has 
chosen    to    try    to    sell    a    few    lots    more    than    to 
sell  a  few  less  at  a  better  price ;    he  has  sought  quan- 
tity  rather   than  quality,   disregarding  the   lessons   of 
Philadelphia,    Boston,    New    York    in    its    Jersey    and 
r)ronx  suburbs,  and  Cincimiati — in  all  of  which  charm- 
ing  subm-ban    residential    districts,    where   the    streets 
follow    the    contour,    curving   and    winding   with    the 
natural    to]3ography,    and    where    vantage    points    are 
preserved  to  the  public,  and  art  supplements  nature, 
have    been    the    most    fashionable    and    speculatively 
profitable  of  all  residential  districts.     Yet  not  one  of 
them  offers  such  views  as  may  he  hail  here.     As  to 
])raclical  remedies,  jierhaps  protest,  sentiment  and  iir 
struction  will  do  more  than  anything  else:  but  the  city 
can  exert  a  powerful  influence  to  check  the  tendency 
by  declining  to  accept  henceforth  any  streets  which 
exceed  a  certain  grade,  (ir  which  contain  cuts  of  more 
than  a  certain  length  and  dejith.     Such  a  stand  should 
ciTt.-iinlv  be  taken. 


LOS-    ANGELES.     CALIF0RNL4 


IMPROVEMENT    PROJECTS 

Comino-  now  to  the  larger  questions  involved  m  a 
replanning  of  the  older  part  of  the  city,  that  it  may  be 
made  worthier  its  site  and  destiny,  we  find  problems 
of  verv  interesting  appeal.  They  demand  breadth  of 
view,  and  not  onlV  breadth  but  an  honest  recognition 
of  the  existing  situation,  with  a  daring,  based  on  faith 
in  Los  Angeles,  to  meet  it.  The  plans,  that  is  to  say. 
should  not  onlv  correct  present  shortcomings,  but 
must  look  into  the  future,  to  the  city  that  is  to  be  If 
we  are  to  be  picavune  in  our  projects  and  timid  in 
suo-°-esting  changes,  our  justification  must  be  doubt  as 
toihe  future  of  Los  Angeles,  a  fear  that  it  will  never 
be  greater  than  it  is  todav.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
VOu\elieve  in  it,  if  vou  have  faith  that  a  really  great 
city  is  to  rise  here,  or  even  a  city  that  will  permanently 
hold  the  large  population  now  gathered  withm  its 
borders,  the  plans  and  enterprises  resulting  from  them 
must  be  on  a  scale  commensurate  with  that  belief — by 
your  works  men  will  judge  of  your  faith. 

What  is  the  situation?  Here,  frankly,  is  an  en- 
lightened community  which  has  outgrown  its  early 
limitations  in  a  swift  and  unsystematic  expansion. 
With  a  site  extraordiinrily  beartiful  in  topography, 
and  lavish  in  extent,  it  has  permitted  the  business  of 
the  city  to  be  jammed  and  crowded  into  narrow  streets 
that  are  unrelieved  by  open  spaces  or  imposing 
development,  and  the  residences  to  sprawl  clumsily 
over  a  vast  territory  of  hill  and  plain.  There  have 
been  reserved  some  beautiful  park  tracts,  but  they 
have  not  been  converted  into  a  system;  in  the  city 
most  sought  in  the  United  States  by  pleasure  lovers 
there  are"  no  fine  drives.  The  private  building  has 
outstripped  the  public:  and  on  streets  that  might  be 
those  of  a  little  town  are  rising  commercial  structures 
so  splendid  and  imposing  and  numerous  that  they 
insistentlv  demand  a  metropolitan  provision  for  them. 
Finallv,  the  railroad  entrances  to  the  city  are  through 
inadequate  little  stations  in  mean  and  shabby  parts 
of  town. 

Whatever  the  dreams  for  Los  .Angeles,  such,  then, 
are  the  present  realities :  they  show  the  stuff  of  which 
the  dreams  must  be  made  if  the  city  is  to  realize  the 
destiny  that  is  believed  to  be  in  store  for  it.  They 
show  'where  we  must  plan,  and  indicate  with  what 
courage  of  conviction,  with  what  breadth  of  view,  and 
with  what  public,  as  distinguished  from  private,  spirit 

we  must  act. 

A  convenient  point  of  beginning 
is  the  railroad  entrance.  Practically 
all  the  visitors  to  Los  Angeles — 
tourists,  investors,  future  residents — 
come  bv  the  steam  railroads,  and  at 
the  station  and  ride  thence  through  city  streets  they 
receive  their  first  impression.  It  is  an  impression  that 
is  lasting,  coloring,  justly  or  unjustly,  their  future 
thought  of  the  city.  It  would  be  well,  if  for  no  other 
reason  than  more  worthily  to  impress  strangers,  to 
make  such  an  entrance  dignified  and  splendid:  but 
it  so  happens  that  the  existing  condition  is  exceedingly 
unpleasant  to  the  citizens  themselves.  One  of  the 
arterial   streets   of   the   citv,    .A.latneda — broad.    <lirect. 


A  Union 
Railroad  Sta- 
tion and  Its 

Approach. 


iOS  MMSr^XS 


PROPOSED  PLAN 


UmON  STATIOM 

^^  APPROACH  -i- 

LOS  ANGELES 

■—     -  CAt. 


ato&fev 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


A  Railroad  Station  in  Berlin.     The  Sui^gested  Colonnade    Forming  an   Arc.   With   the   Station   Behind   it,   Would   Be 
More    Imposing;    but   Imagine   Even    Such   a    Structure  as  This  at  the  Foot  of  Fifth  Street. 


fairly  level — is  abantloiietl  to  a  railroid,  which,  in 
semblance  of  old  village  days,  passes  along  it  at  grade, 
crossing  at  grade  all  tlie  intersecting  streets.  Three 
or  four  blocks  east  are  two  other  railroads,  and  all 
three  have  separate  stations — the  latter  two  inconven- 
iently located,  and  none  with  an  adequate  approach. 

It  is  obvious  that  there  ought  to  be  a  Union  Sta- 
tion. In  locating  this  and  planning  approaches  to  it, 
we  have  to  seek  the  inaxiinum  of  effect  at  the  min- 
imum of  expense,  and  must  do  this  by  making  use  of 
all  which  is  good  in  the  present  situation.  The  loca- 
tion of  the  Arcade  station  is  good,  if  it  be  suitably 
developed ;  the  tracks  on  Alameda  street  are  bad.  and 
if  possible  must  be  given  up;  the  location  of  the 
tracks  of  the  Santa  Fe  and  Salt  Lake  roads  is.  per- 
haps, as  little  objectionable  as  possible.  We  have, 
then,  a  basis  on  which  to  work ;  and  it  must  be  recog- 
nized that  there  nuist  be  both  give  and  take,  as  between 
the  railroads  themselves  and  as  between  the  city  and 
the  railroads,  to  obtain  a  result  that  will  be  to  the 
advantage  of  all. 

My  recommendation  is  that  the  L'nion  Station  be 
located  on  the  land  now  occupied  bv  the  Arcade  Dc]5ot 
and  its  surroundings ;  that  the  Southern  Pacific  aban- 
don the  use  of  Alameda  street  by  through  trains,  thence- 
forth collecting  anrl  delivering  freight  to  such  plants 
as  are  reached  by  the  sidings  from  that  track,  in  cars 
propelled  by  electricity :  and  that  in  return  for  this 
reliiKiuishment  of  Alameda  street,  the  Southern  Pacific 
be  given  a  right  of  way  directly  east  frdin  the  ]M-esent 


Arcade  Deijut  to  th^'  present  freight  vards  of  the 
Santa  Fe.  From  that  point  the  roads  can  be  depended 
upon  to  work  out  their  own  trackage  arrangements. 
The  Santa  Fe  and  Salt  Lake  should  be  allowed  track- 
age facilities  over  the  new  right  of  way,  and  the  trains 
of  the  Southern  Pacific  should  then  enter  and  leave 
the  city  along  the  line  of  the  river.  As  the  Salt  Lake 
road  now  does  this,  and  is  allied  with  the  Southern 
Pacific,  and  as  the  latter  w'ould  still  have,  near  the 
Piuena  Vista  street  bridge,  convenient  access  to  its 
extensive  yards,  this  plan  would  seem  to  involve  no 
serious  difficulties  in  view  of  tlie  advantages  to  be 
derived.  For  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  in  economy 
of  administration,  in  convenience  to  its  passengers, 
and  in  the  transfer  of  baggage  and  mails,  a  LTnion 
Station  is  of  advantage  to  the  railroads  as  well  as 
to  the  public :  and  that  in  the  present  instance  there 
is  practically  no  local  competition  in  passenger  traffic 
between  these  roads.  The  short  stri])  through  which 
it  is  proposed  that  the  city  give  a  right  of  way,  in 
return  for  the  restoration  of  Alameda  street,  now  con- 
sists of  vacant  lots,  of  frame  cottages  and  shacks,  and 
of  unimproved  streets.  The  city  could  well  afford 
to  m.ake  such  a  change. 

r.iU  the  city,  in  re(|uiring  these  changes  and  the 
construction  of  a  splendid  Union  Station,  should  im- 
prove tile  opportunitv  to  ])rovide  a  worthv  approach. 
This  can  be  done  easily  and  eft'cctively.  as  shown  in  the 
diagram,  by  widening  and  straightening  Fifth  street. 
Placing    the    new    station  on    the    present    Southern 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIFORNIA 


Pacific  holdings  at  the  Arcade  Depot  and  nut  to  Cen- 
tral avenue,  the  drawing  suggests  a  big  terminal  sta- 
tion built  on  the  modern  plan — mail,  express  and  bag- 
gage taken  care  of  in  a  long  building  at  the  side,  into 
which  run  tracks  for  the  loading  and  unloading  of 
cars,  while  the  passenger  cars  stand  between  esplan- 
ades that  terminate,  at  the  end  of  the  main  station,  in 
a  wide  concourse,  onto  which  opens  the  waiting  room. 
The  building  is  placed  on  the  axis  of  Fifth  street, 
centering  on  it,  so  as  to  give  a  fine  effect,  closing  the 
vista  of  the  street.  The  effect  is  further  heightened 
by  the  suggested  peristyle,  a  colonnade  describing  a 
long  arc  across  the  structure's  front.  Fifth  street  is 
widened  to  i92i/4  feet,  from  Cdadys  avenue  to  Los 
Angeles  street,  and  is  straightened,  so  that  it  leads 
straight  away  from  the  broad  plaza  planned  in  front 
ot  the  station  to  the  heart  of  the  business  district. 

A  very  remarkable  effect  can  be  secured  here  at 
relatively  little  cost.  For  the  four  blocks  from  Cen- 
tral avenue  to  Crocker  street,  a  12]/^  foot  alley  runs 
jiarallel  to  Fifth  street  at  a  distance  of  only  lOO  feet 
to  the  south.  By  widening  the  street  on  this  side  to 
include  the  alley,  there  is  obtained  thus  the  whole 
broad  sweep  desired.  For  the  block  beyond  Crocker, 
the  allev  has  not  been  cut  through,  and  the  strip  to 
be  acquired  is  iz^A  feet  wider  as  a  consecjuence.  Then 
comes  the  street's  present  awkward  turn,  which  is 
remedied  by  taking  such  decreasing  amount  on  the 
south  side  and  increasing  amount  on  the  north,  as  to 
maintain  the  straight  lines.  From]  Wall  street  to  Los 
Angeles  street  the  taking  is  all  on  the  north.  For  the 
whole  of  this  distance,  a  half  mile  stretch  from  the 
station  plaza,  there  is  not  a  single  building  of  impor- 
tance to  block  the  improvement.  Much  the  greater 
number  are  small  frame  structures,  often  of  only  one 
storv.  How  long  such  a  condition  may  continue  can- 
not be  said.  It  is  undeserved  good  fortune  that  it  has 
lasted  as  long  as  this. 

Any  student  of  the  map  or  of  the  street  itself,  will 
be  struck  bv  the  advantage  of  continuing  the  widening 
all  the  way  to  Hill  street,  where  this  broad  boulevard 
would  connect  with  the  improvements  at  Central  Park, 
of  which  I  shall  speak  later.  I  stopped  the  widening 
at  Los  Angeles  street,  not  because  unconscious  of  this 
advantage,  but  because  at  that  corner  there  is  met,  in 
the  new  King  Edward  Hotel,  the  first  substantial 
building  to  oppose  the  boulevard's  prolongation ;  and 
beyond  the  King  Edward,  one  gets  at  once  into  "close 
in"'  business  property  of  perhaps  as  much  value  as  any 
in  the  city.  Yet  it  may  h&  observed  that  on  the  north 
side  of  Fifth  street,  on  which  all  the  widening  would 
here  take  place,  there  is  not  for  the  four  blocks  from 
Los  Angeles  street  to  Hill  street,  any  building  of  such 
cost  as  to  make  the  scheme  impracticable  for  a  big 
citv  determined  to  do  a  grand  thing  grandly.  Only 
four  structures  are  as  much  as  three  stories  high ; 
the  average  height  is  not  over  two.  This  is  the  more 
remarkable,  since  several  very  large  and  immensely 
expensive  structures  have  risen  on  the  street's  other 
side.  There  should  be  considered,  also,  the  great  gain 
to  the  city  in  having,  through  the  congested  business 
district,  one  very  wide  street  rvmning  east  and  west. 
This  gain  would  be  primarily  to  traffic.     Its  value  as 


a  preventive  to  the  spread  of  fire,  however,  should  also 
be  kept  in  mind.  This  will  be  considerable  in  even 
the  half  mile  proposed,  but  it  would  be  of  yet  greater 
value  through  the  business  district. 

Finally,  it  should  be  remembered  that  the  improve- 
ment from  the  station  to  Los  Angeles  street  will 
almost  certainly  pay  for  itself,  in  making  very  valuable 
a  frontage  now  little  esteemed,  while  between  Los 
Angeles  and  Hill  streets,  the  boulevard's  assurance  of 
exceptional  light  for  all  office  buildings  abutting  on 
it,  would  pay  some  of  the  cost  by  the  increased  assess- 
ments perpetually  coming  from  the  benefitted  property. 
All  this  is  aside  from  the  spectacular  effectiveness, 
which  would  be  very  great.  I  much  wish  that  Los 
Angeles  may  do  the  whole  thing,  as  it  ought  to  be 
done.  But  if  this  cannot  be  compassed  at  present,  the 
complete  scheme  should  be  kept  in  mind,  so  that  if  the 
misfortune  of  a  great  fire  should  ever,  imhappily,  dev- 
astate a  portion  of  the  property  required,  the  chance 
might  be  grasped  to  put  through  the  improvement. 

Returning  now  to  Los  Angeles  street,  and  assum- 
ing that  the  widening  of  Fifth  street  stops  at  that 
point,  at  what  may  be  termed  the  iiiinicdiatcly  practi- 
cable terminus  of  the  improvement,  we  have  a  street 
1923/2  feet  wide,  leading  a  half  mile  directly  to  the 
station.  Los  Angeles  street  would  curve  into  it  on 
either  side,  so  making  a  wide  space,  and  at  the  other 
end  the  street  would  terminate  in  a  broad  plaza  in 
front  of  the  station.  Detailed  plans  for  the  develop- 
ment of  this  plaza  should  await  detailed  architectural 
plans  for  the  station ;  but  there  will  obviously  be 
space  for  carriage  stands,  for  street  car  facilities, 
and  for  the  criss-cross  travel  of  the  existing  streets, 
and  all  this  with  dignity  and  spaciousness  of  effect, 
while  incidentally  this  plaza  will  offer  such  setting  for 
the  station  as  to  inspire  the  architects  to  their  best 
achievement. 

From  the  Station  Plaza  west  to  Los  Angeles  street, 
the  surface  development  of  the  broad  way  may  reason- 
ably be  anticipated.  My  conception  of  it  is  that  it 
would  be  a  great  traffic  highway,  that  as  the  formal 
entrance  to  so  large  and  busy  a  city  as  Los  Angeles, 
the  softer  graces  of  abundant  vegetation  would  here 
be  out  of  place,  that  its  beauty  should  consist  mainly 
in  its  dimensions,  its  proportions,  its  vistas,  and  its 
utilitw  Nothing  upon  the  surface  of  this  boulevard 
would  be  so  important  or  so  interesting  as  the  stream 
of  traffic  flowing  up  and  down  upon  it.  Mv  recom- 
mendation, therefore,  is  as  follows :  On  each  side  a 
broad  paved  sidewalk — fifteen  feet  wide ;  between 
the  walk  and  the  curb  a  strip  of  parking — /.  c.  turf — 
sixteen  feet  wide.  In  determining  this,  the  great 
width  of  the  street  must  be  considered.  Beyond  the 
curb,  on  each  side,  a  twenty-seven  foot  driveway,  re- 
served for  the  slow-moving  vehicles ;  beyond  this 
drive,  on  each  side  and  nearer  the  center  of  the  street, 
a  drive  of  similar  width  for  rapidly  moving,  or  light 
passenger  vehicles ;  in  the  middle  a  double  car  track. 
The  only  trees  should  be  placed  in  the  side  parking, 
between  walk  and  curb.  They  should  be  formal  in 
character  and  uniform  in  variety  and  spacing.  I 
would  suggest  the  jacaranda  at  intervals  of  at  least 
thirty   feet.     To  separate  the  two  driveways  on  each 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


side,  there  should  he  a  curb,  like  a  low  coping.  Upon 
this,  but  placed  on  the  longitudinal  axis,  and  ccm- 
structed  without  the  cross-bar,  I  would  like  to  see 
the  ornamental  lights  that  are  so  pleasant  a  feature 
of  )-our  business  streets.  Each  of  these  uprights 
would  then  carry  one  large  and  two  small  globes.  In 
the  parking,  along  the  sidewalk,  I  would  have  at 
frequent  intervals,  standards  carrying  single  globes, 
these  lights  showing  prettilv  beneath  the  trees.  The 
trolley  wires  should  be  suspended  from  ornamental 
center  poles,  standing  between  the  tracks  and  carrying 
cross  arms  that  would  stretch  over  the  tracks.  All 
other  wires  should,  of  course,  be  in  conduits,  for 
which  there  would  be  ample  space  in  the  side  j^ark- 
ing. 

The  advantages  of  such  development  arc.  I  think, 
pretty  evident ;  but  it  may  be  pointed  out  that  the 
■function  of  this  street  is  necessarilv  its  provision  for 
through  travel,  that  the  opposing  streams  of  traffic 
would  be  separated  and  then  further  sub-divided  into 
the  swift  and  slow  moving,  time  being  a  consideration 
in  traffic  to  a  railroad  station.  The  trees  would  be  in 
lovely  purple  bloom  in  spring,  but  this  would  be  a 
natural  feature,  giving  no  sense  of  inappropriateness, 
and  the  lines  of  trees  and  lights  and  center  trolley 
poles  would  emphasize  the  length  of  the  street,  while 
the  center  would  be  left  clear  for  unobstructed  vista 
in  either  direction.  To  the  east,  this  would  be  to 
the  facade  of  the  station,  with  its  curve  of  great  col- 
umns ;  to  the  west  it  would  be  to  an  isle  of  safety 
carrying  a  tall  shaft.  For  immediate  efifect  this  might 
be  an  electrolier  ;  but  I  should  hope  that  the  wealth 
of  Los  Angeles  would  soon  raise  at  this  conspicuous 
point  a  column  surmounted  by  an  angel,  as  la  Colonne 
dc  Juillct.  in  the  Place  de  la  Bastilc  in  Paris;  or  such 
as  the  column  on  the  BeUe  Alliance  Plats,  Berlin. 
When  this  street  is  thus  developed,  I  know  of  only 
two  cities  in  the  United  States  that  will  have  such  a 
splendid  entrance.  One  will  be  Cleveland,  where,  at 
a  cost  of  fourteen  million  dollars,  the  work  is  already 
under  way':  the  other  will  be  \\'ashington.  Los 
Angeles,  with  so  much  more  to  gain,  ought  not  to 
hesitate  where  Cleveland  dares. 

It  will  be  observed  that  for  the  six  hundred  feet 
from  Wall  street  to  Los  Angeles  street,  the  north 
side  of  the  broadened  way  runs  very  close  to  Winston 
street.  This  thoroughfare,  making  a  long  curve  to  the 
south,  leaves  for  a  distance  of  a  hundred  feet  a  space 
of  less  than  twenty-five  feet  between  its  south  line  and 
broadened  Fifth  street's  north  line.  Even  at  the  re- 
motest ends  of  the  arc,  the  distance  between  the  two 
is  only  about  seventy-five  feet.  It  is  an  interesting 
situation. 

Thus  to  reduce  the  private  holdings  for  this  dis- 
tance would  be  almost  to  confiscate  them,  and  from 
the  standpoint  of  pul)lic  interest,  the  continuance  of 
such  a  strip  in  private  hands  would  seriously  menace 
the  effectiveness  of  this  ])art  of  the  avenue,  for  it 
could  never  be  adequately  improved.  Rut  the  city, 
by  securing  the  slight  additional  area  which,  fur  this 
block,  would  carry  the  im])rovement  to  Winston  street, 
would  thus  obtain  the  addition  of  the  width  of  \\'in- 
ston   street. — in   itself  an   addition  of  fortv   feet — and 


would  substitute  on  the  tax  rolls  a  frontage  that  would 
be  immensely  valuable,  in  place  of  one  almost  worth- 
less. For  its  own  profit,  therefore,  the  city  at  this 
point  should  carry  the  improvement  to  Winston 
street. 

In  the  development  of  the  tract,  the  straight  line 
of  the  avenue  should  be  continued.  The  brief  inter- 
vening space  can  be  utilized  in  various  ways,  the  pre- 
ference depending  on  the  development  that  accompa- 
nies the  making  of  this  wide  avenue.  It  would  make  a 
convenient  cab  stand,  where,  out  of  the  wav  of  the 
regular  traffic,  waiting  cabs  could  always  be  found. 
For  this  purpose  its  proximity  to  the  business  district 
and  location  on  the  line  to  the  station  well  adapt  it. 
Or,  it  could  be  parked.  At  its  narrowest  point  there 
might  be  a  fountain,  and  on  either  side — with  turf, 
trees  and  flowers — seats  whence  the  ceaseless  pano- 
rama of  the  street  could  be  observed.  If  this  plan 
were  carried  out.  the  acquirement  of  a  similar  space 
on  the  opposite  side,  balancing  it,  would  much  add  to 
the  efiPectiveness,  and  we  should  have  here  a  trulv 
Parisian  arrangement.  In  this  connection  it  mav  be 
noted  that  the  ideal  to  be  kept  in  mind  in  developing 
Los  Angeles,  while  the  municipality  must  have  an 
individuality  of  its  own.  ought  to  be  much  nearer  that 
of  a  Continental  city  in  Europe  than  of  the  typical 
American  city.  As  in  foreign  capitals,  there  should  be 
provision  for  a  large  class  of  pleasure  seekers  of  mod- 
erate means,  and  for  enjovment  of  the  sunshine  and 
fresh  air.  In  other  words,  there  should  be  ample 
facilities  for  sitting  out  of  doors.  A  third  scheme  of 
development,  which  could  well  be  combined  with  the 
second,  would  include  the  acquirement  of  tlie  abutting 
property  on  Winston  street,  with  its  handsomely  curv- 
ing front,  as  a  public  building  site.  It  might  be  the 
site  of  the  important  branch  of  the  postoffice.  which 
will  probably  be  needed  at  this  end  of  town,  or  it 
would  make  an  admirable  location  for  that  municipal 
building  which  in  a  few  years  will  doubtless  be  re- 
quired for  the  water  department,  or  for  any  other  pub- 
lic structure.  In  private  hands,  the  location  would  ijc 
an  almost  ideal  one  for  a  fine  city  hotel. 

Rut  to  go  back  to  the  avenue,  we  should  probably 
find  such  travel  as  was  ultimately  going  to  the  north 
or  south,  avoiding  the  congested  business  streets  by 
turning  to  the  right  and  left  at  Los  Angeles  and  San 
Pedro  streets.  Both  are  good  streets  ;  and  if  Towne 
avenue,  already  broadly  laid  out  and  to  the  south  well 
planted,  desired  to  catch  some  of  the  considerable 
south-bound  travel,  it  could  probablv  do  so  by  in- 
creasing its  attractiveness.  It  has  not  yet  been  paved, 
and  when  improved  a  slight  narrowing  of  the  roadway 
to  give  wider  side  jwrking  strips — say  ten-foot  ])ark- 
ing  on  each  side — would  do  much  to  tlraw  travel  to  it. 

The  travel  that  turns  north  might  some  of  it 
proceed  west  by  the  Third-street  tunnel :  but  the 
greater  portion  would  doubtless  proceed  to  the  old 
Plaza.  The  historical  significance  of  this  site  makes 
it  deserve  a  greater  emphasis  and  better  setting  than 
it  has  yet  received  in  the  Los  Angeles  street  plan. 
But  this  is  part  of  the  Civic  Center  jiroject — the  sec- 
ond great  fruit  of  better  city  building  in  which  I  find 
Los  .\ngelcs  most  lamentablv  lacking. 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIF0RNL4 


"Proposes  s^s 


^Administrative  (Fntefj--^- 

<»'^  TbcGlTYofLOSi^NGEIsES 
"' ■       •     '  Califr  » 


An  Adminis- 
trative Center. 


In  the  County  Courthouse,  superbly 
situated   on    its   mound;    in   the  new 


Federal  building,  under  construction, 
diagonallv  across  from  it ;  and  in  the  need  of  a  new 
City  Hall,  yet  to  be  located,  there  are  furnished  the 
sufficient  ingredients  for  a  very  imposing  Civic  Cen- 
ter. If  I  had  been  called  upon  a  few  months  ago,  T 
could  probably  have  planned  with  comparative  ease  a 
grouping  here  of  public  structures  that  would  hive 
given  fine  conventional  effect.  But  now  the  tall,  slim, 
costly  structure  of  the  International  Bank  is  rising 
directly  in  front  of  the  Postoffice,  as  if  slapping  it  in 
the  face,  completely  screening  a  broad  view  of  the 
structure,  and  from  Main  street  hiding  even  the  Court- 
house. It  stands  on  exactly  the  land  that  would 
most  naturally  have  been  utilized  for  an  open  space 
around  which  the  public  buildings  shotdd  be  grouped. 
But  since  it  is  not  my  desire  to  present  plans  that  arc 
beyond  reason,  I  have  not  for  a  moment  considered 
suggesting  that  it  be  purchased  and  removed.  I  have 
accepted  it  as  one  of  the  fixed  conditions ;  and  it  has 
at  least  the  merit  of  rising  like  a  warning  finger  aver 
the  low  structures  all  around  it,  as  if  to  caution  the 
citizens  of  Los  Angeles  that  if  they  desire  to  gain  big 
effects  and  to  do  big  things  in  the  building  of  their 
city,  it  is  not  safe  to  delay  the  acquirement  of  the 
necessary  land. 

Accepting,  then,  the  International   Bank  building, 
I  have  worked  long  over  the  problem  of  adequately 


connecting  the  public  buildings  and  giving  to  them 
the  centralization  which  properly  belongs  to  them. 
Happily,  from  a  geographical  standpoint,  the  site  is 
excellent.  My  plan  contemplates,  first,  the  extension 
of  Aliso  street  in  a  straight  line  to  Main.  Aliso  street 
in  itself  is  not  attractive,  but  it  is  a  broad,  arterial 
thoroughfare,  carrying  a  heavy  traffic,  particularly  by 
street  car,  to  the  east  side  and  to  Pasadena.  The  pro- 
posed change  will  straighten  the  street,  which  will  be 
a  convenience  to  the  travel,  and  will  mean  a  shorten- 
ing of  the  distance,  and  it  will  open  an  interesting  view 
of  the  new  Federal  building,  which  will  show  for  a 
long  distance  down  it.  As  Aliso  street's  direct  ex- 
tension will  bring  it  just  to  the  north  corner  of  Com- 
mercial street  and  Main,  there  can  be  given  to  it  at 
that  point  a  wide  curving  entrance  which  will  emplia- 
size  its  importance  as  a  highwav  to  the  east  side.  On 
the  diagram,  I  have  indicated  that  there  would  be 
room  here  for  a  drinking  fountain ;  while  a  block 
further  away,  where  the  straightened  Aliso  leaves  the 
street's  present  line  at  the  crossing  of  Los  Angeles 
street,  there  would  be  left  a  triangle  that  would  make 
an  admirable  site  for  one  of  those  Public  Comfort 
Stations,  which  all  our  large  cities  are  finding  it  ad- 
visable to  erect,  as  the  cities  of  Europe  did  long  ago. 
The  location  would  be  an  exceedingly  convenient  one, 
and  the  site  is  large  enough  to  make  practicable  some 
planting  of  shrubs  around  the  building. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


The  little  area  between  the  Postoffice  and  the  Jail. 
about  half  of  which  is  now  a  street,  I  recommend 
opening^  as  a  plaza,  to  give  the  Federal  building  bet- 
ter setting  and,  especially,  to  open  to  view  its  north 
facade  from  New  High  street,  whence  now  only  a 
corner  can  be  seen. 

As  a  third  change  of  street,  I  advise  the  prolong'i 
tion  of  New  High  street  to  Broadway.  The  simpler 
way  to  do  this  would  be  to  make  a  curve  ;  but  far  the 
better  way,  if  practicable,  and  I  hope  it  may  be  made 
so,  will  be  to  carry  it  straight  through,  so  that  it  shall 
meet  Broadway  at  First  street.  This  will  open  from 
Broadway  a  striking  vista  of  the  Postoffice,  will  bring 
the  latter  into  that  connection  with  Broadway  which 
it  already  has  with  ^lain  and  Spring  streets,  and  so 
will  much  enhance  the  effectiveness  of  the  site.  Then 
Spring  and  Broadwav  will  seem  to  focus  to  it  and 
Main  will  only  just  miss  it.  Further,  the  direct  ex- 
tension of  New  High  street  will  be  a  convenience  to 
traffic,  afTnrding  a  more  direct  and  obvious  short  cut 
than  the  curve  would  do.  Finallv,  since  the  Court- 
house property  is  to  be  extended  to  Franklin  street, 
it  would  be  well  if  the  small  triangle  between  Broid- 
way,  Franklin  and  the  extended  New  High  street 
should  be  obtained,  to  give  to  the  new  county  building 
a  dignified  and  fitting  setting  and  to  open  it  to  a  bet- 
ter view  from  Broadway.  This  space  would  afford 
an  excellent  site  for  the  White  statue.  With  these 
several  changes  the  existing  public  buildings  will 
seem  much  better  placed  and  will  be  bro"ght  into  an 
■  improved  relation  with  the  city's  street  system.  The 
problem,  however,  of  properly  locating  a  new  munici- 
pal building  remains. 

For  the  site  of  the  new  City  Hall  I  have  selected 
the  plat  between  Spring  and  Alain  streets,  now  occu- 
pied by  the  BuUard  Block,  together  with  Market 
street,  which  bounds  this  on  the  north,  and  with  so 
much  of  the  land  abutting  on  the  north  side  of  Market 
as  may  be  necessary  to  give  to  the  site  the  breadth 
required.  As  mv  plan  in  its  entirety  contemplates  the 
acquirement  of  all  of  the  triangle  between  Market 
street  and  the  intersection  of  Main  and  Spring,  the 
latter  addition  will  not  increase  the  scheme's  cost. 
In  selecting  this  site,  of  course,  many  considerations 
other  than  the  financial  must  have  wei.ght ;  but  it 
mav  be  remarked  that  while  the  Bullard  Block  is  of  a 
better  type  than  most  of  the  buildings  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, the  extra  cost  thus  involved  is  balanced  by 
the  fact  that  here  the  city  gets  free  the  fifty  feet  of  the 
building  frontage  which  is  in  Market  street;  and  in 
Court  street,  an  open  space  at  its  back. 

Further,  in  making  choice  of  this  site,  it  is  as- 
sumed that,  ideally  desirable  or  not,  the  new  building 
is  likelv  to  be  tall  and  not  differing  much  from  the 
connnercial,  or  office  type.  This  fact  has  made  it  ad- 
visable to  select  a  site  which,  while  not  requiring  that 
sort  of  structure,  could  bear  it,  without  detriment  of 
effectiveness.  This  the  proposed  site  will  certainly 
(In.  The  cleared  gore,  extending  to  the  south  front  of 
the  Federal  building,  only  about  200  feet  away,  will 
bring  the  City  Hall  into  close  grmijj-relatioi,  with  the 
latter,  towaid  which  it  will  trrn  an  nrnanKutal  facade. 


^^^^^^^kI'''''^^'"''''^'''''''^     Vfl 

^^A^^^^tt^Tmiirnmu^lm 

^^U^mwm 

l^^BK^^^^^^M 

m/KKSmm 

^^^^^^H^K^^^^'^-  ■^^'•^*^BP'li 

BIBr.  .:-■■'■■    ■  V.     ..  ^risiM|B 

HHS^^^S^^^ffl 

al^HHIIH&ibHBBEtf^bv;.         rsiH 

^t^^nansKOKHn^i'^  '±: .'1>9^^ 

HHI^BHRMHSaBUIIUIHUl 

A  Terrace  in  Charlottenburg.  This  Is  a  Suggestion 
for  the  Terraced  Garden  Proposed  Between  the 
Court  House  and  the  City  Hall.  Flights  of  Stone 
Steps  Might  Rise  Curvingly  from  the  Base  of  the 
Retaining  Wall  to  the  Balustrade  on  Either  Side, 
the  Walks  to  Them  Joining,  in  the  Foreground,  a 
Central  Walk.  Above.  Where  in  the  Picture  Are 
the  Trees,  Would  Be  the  Court  House  with  Great 
Palms   Before  It. 


My  conception  of  the  (levelo]5ment  of  the  gore  space 
requires  strict  formality — a  space  paved  in  figures 
and  set  off  with  lines  of  lights  and  formal  trees — such 
as  bays.  At  the  point  marked  "A"  on  the  diagram, 
just  within  the  east  sidewalk  line  of  Main  street  at 
its  intersection  with  Temple  street,  1  would  ])lace  a 
\'enetian  mast  carr\ing  a  flag. 

To  unite  the  City  Hall  with  the  Courthouse,  it 
is  recessary  to  develop  another  scheme,  on  another 
axis,  which,  while  actually  independent  of  the  former, 
will  yet  seem  to  be  in  connection  with  it  bv  intersect- 
ing it.  At  the  point  of  intersection  should  rise  the 
City  Hall,  which,  as  a  large  structure,  could  make  the 
necessary  angle  while  disguising  it.  This  sought  con- 
nection is  attained  by  acquiring  so  much  of  the  shal- 
low block,  now  poorly  improved,  that  lies  between 
Main  and  New  High  streets,  as  is  directly  in  front  of 
the  east  facade  of  the  Courthouse.  L'pon  this  tract 
the  west  facade  of  the  City  Hall  would  center.  There 
are  left  private  buildings  to  the  right  and  left  of  the 
cut.  The  value  of  these  sites  will  be  greatly  increased 
by  the  improvements  to  take  place  about  them,  and 
there  can  be  no  doubt  that  lioth  plats  wmdd  be 
promptly  covered  by  costly  structures  of  tlic  Interna- 
tional Bank  class.  On  the  north,  this  change  would 
conceal  the  unadorned  back  of  the  bank  building,  and 
with  that  structure  would  handsomely  build  up  the 
s])acc  between  the  cut  and  the  Postoffice,  making  a 
notable,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped,  worthy  addition  to  the 
architectural  ciisrinblc.  The  building  that  would  rise 
on  the  south,  taken  in  connectimi  with  these  and  the 
public  structures,  would  throw  a  high  and  unusual 
frame  about  the  little  ctit. 

In  the  area  thus  cleared,  there  will  be  a  fall  of 
several  feet,  and  I  |>ro]iose  that  tile  space,  in  connec- 
liiin  with  the  grounds  of  the  C'onrthouse,  be  develo[)ed 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIFORNL-i 


ill  terraced  gardens.  There  would  1_ie  no  driveway 
here  from  Spring  to  New  High,  as  tliere  is  none  now 
through  the  block,  but  pedestrians  might  take  a  path 
that  would  wind  a  bit.  with  a  few  shillow  steps  in  it 
now  and  then,  and  balustrades  at  corners.  The  whole 
would  make  a  verv  lovely  surprise,  as  one  came  along 
Main  street  and  suddenly  found  between  tall  buildings 
these  terraced  gardens,  down  which  it  could,  perhaps, 
be  arranged  that  a  stream  should  fall,  when  the  Owens 
river  project  has  been  realized.  And  looking  from 
the  Courthouse  to  the  City  Hall ;  or  from  City  Hall 
to  Courthouse,  there  would  be  such  a  setting  to  a 
]Hiblic  building  as  one  looks  for  in  Europe  rather  than 
in  America.  Its  very  irregularity  would  be  a  merit. 
Nearly  all  of  the  best  "places"  of  Europe,  from  the 
renaissance  on,  have  had  the  charm  of  picturesqueness, 
and  of  curious  angles,  as  this  would  have.  Indeed, 
the  whole  project  would  work  out  better,  I  am  very 
sure,  in  the  reality  than  it  does  on  paper,  and  the  im- 
prof\-ement  as  a  whole  would  redeem  and  make  wor- 
thily splendid  an  end  of  the  town  that  now  offers  no 
proper  surroundings  for  the  Administrative  Center 
of  such  a  city  as  Los  Angeles  is  and  is  to  be. 

The  expense  involved  would  be  considerable,  but 
an  imposing  part  of  it — as  in  the  extensions  of  New 
High  and  Aliso  streets — would  make  so  directly  and 
largely  for  the  convenience  of  travel  that  the  cost  could 
not  all  be  fairly  charged  to  aesthetics.  But  even  were 
the  cost  of  these  changes  counted,  the  scheme  would 
require  a  comparatively  small  expenditure  compared 
to  what  other  cities  are  contenijilating,  or  actually 
spending,  to  group  their  public  buildings  in  a  worthy 
administrative  center. 


it  ^     ^11^ 


^'^■r  .     V- '*■'''. 


3i 


The   Capitol   Terrace  at   Washington— Another   Sug- 
gestion   tor   the   Terraced    Garden    Between 
the  Court  House  and  City  Hall. 


In  taking  up  the  Civic  Center  discussion,  I  sakl 
that  a  i)art  of  its  function  would  be  to  dignifv  an.I 
emphasize  the  historic  old  Plaza.  How  this  is  done, 
except  as  it  is  accomplished  indirectly,  by  the  creation 
of  a  new  attraction  within  close  proximity  to  the  Plaza, 
I  have  not  yet  explained.  Such  aid  is  important;  but 
there  is  proposed  more  intimate  assistance. 

Fort  Hill  lluena   Msta   street,   running   from 

Park.  the  Temple-street  front  of  the  Court- 

house, climbs  a  steej)  hill,  and  then  on  the  north  side 
drops  very  abruptly  down  the  bluff  to  the  level  of 
Sunset  boulevard.  As  a  route  for  through  travel,  this 
portion  of  it  is  practically  useless.  It  happens  that  in 
climbing  the  face  of  the  hill  to  its  brow,  before  drop- 
ping down,  the  street  so  cuts  into  the  bank  that  on 
one  side  the  few  houses  are  high  above  it,  on  a  precipi- 
tous terrace,  and  on  the  other,  or  east  side,  even  before 
the  big  retaining  wall  has  been  passed,  are  below  it, 
becoming  at  last  like  cliff  dwellings  to  be  reached  only 
by  descending  flights  of  steps.  From  Temple  street 
to  the  hill  top.  where  this  part  of  the  street  prac- 
tically ends,  is  two  blocks :  and  the  steep  bank  which 
separates  P>uena  Msta  street  from  New  High,  though 
it  is  only  a  block  from  Main  street,  is  so  little  occu])ied 
by  dwellings  that  it  is  still  enough  covered  with  verd- 
ure to  make  a  wall  of  inviting  green.  But  Buena 
Msta  street,  rising  to  the  summit,  justifies  its  name 
in  offering  an  interesting  view  over  the  older  portion 
of  the  city,  and  away  to  the  hills  that  lie  beyond  the 
many  miles  of  roofs. 

At  the  beginning  of  what  may  be  termed  the  other 
end  of  the  business  district  of  Los  Angeles,  is  Central, 
or  "The  Sixth  Street"  Park,  for  the  further  develop- 
ment of  which  I  shall  suggest  some  plans.  At  this 
north  end  there  is  nothing  except  the  quaint  little 
Plaza,  with  its  radius  of  about  a  hundred  feet.  This 
is  overcrowded  all  the  time.  Thus  there  is  need  of 
further  park  space  in  this  section. 

Fort  Hill,  on  its  east,  or  Buena  \'ista  street  side, 
and  on  its  north  side,  when  properly  developed  and 
made  accessible,  oft'ers  a  park  site  which  is  convenient, 
picturesque  and  inexpensive.  It  is  worth  considera- 
tion, in  this  connection  that  with  the  exception  of 
Hollenbeck,  far  over  on  the  east  side,  every  one  of 
the  developed  small  parks  of  the  city  is  practically 
flat — and  that  in  a  beautiful  rolling  country.  The 
Buena  \'ista.  or  Hillside.  Park,  would  thus  afford  an 
interesting  aiul  attractive  variation ;  its  upper  portions 
would  invite  the  residents  of  the  level  streets  below 
into  a  higher,  and  cleaner  atmosphere,  giving  to  them 
a  broad  outlook  and  a  pleasant  shade ;  while  to  the 
residents  on  the  high  land  that  stretches  west,  it  would 
give  that  public  vantage  point  to  which  their  choice 
of  residence  there  entitles  them.  Once  secured  and 
cleared,  and  neither  of  these  operations  would  be  ex- 
pensive, since  the  public  holdings  need  be  only  a 
fringe  on  top  of  the  hill,  the  tract  would  require  no 
costly  development.  It  should  be  well  planted  in  trees  ; 
the  walks  should  be  only  paths,  or  trails,  winding  up 
the  hill :  and  its  cquii:)ment  would  be  completed  with 
plenty  of  benches  inviting  rest  and  enjoyment  of  the 
view.     r)n   the   north    frontage,  upper   Broadway   and 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


upper  Hill  street  will  give  access  to  its  higher  parts, 
as  will  the  park  trails:  while  the  summit,  as  the  point 
where  Fremont  planted  his  guns,  is  one  of  the  few 
historically  significant  sites  in  town,  and  as  such  should 
he  treasured.  The  hluff  is  so  steep  that  it  is  valueless 
for  huildings  other  than  little  shacks,  and  just  west 
of  the  tunnel's  north  entrance  it  seems,  as  this  is 
written,  to  have  attained  its  maximum  of  civic  useful- 
ness— as  a  site  for  billboards ! — until  the  city  does 
acquire  it.  Then  it  can  be  freed  of  them  and  the 
shacks  can  be  made  beautiful  with  planting,  and  at 
the  top  developed  with  outlook  points — a  couple  of 
pergolas,  covered  with  vines — whence  the  view  will  be 
not  unlike  that  from  the  heights  of  the  San  Miniato 
drive  in  Florence. 

From  the  Courthouse  my  idea  would  be  to  con- 
tinue the  present  Buena  \'ista  street  road  as  a  park- 
drive  to  its  upper  portion — and  it  will  make  from  the 
business  district  the  most  attractive  approach  to  the 
homes  on  Fort  Hill — but  the  principal  functions  of  the 
park  would  be  three :  As  a  delightful  neighborhood 
park,  with  all  which  that  implies ;  a  factor  in  the 
boulevard  svstem,  as  will  be  described  later  on;  and  on 


the  east  face  as  a  link  establishing  a  scenic  connection 
between  the  old  Plaza  and  the  Administrative  Center. 
To  realize  this  function,  New  High  street  from  the 
Federal  building  to  Republic  would  be  utilized.  On 
the  one  side  of  it  would  be  a  park,  the  retaining  wall 
or.  the  park's  further  side  made  beautiful  with  creep- 
ers :  on  the  other  side,  with  Main  street  before  them 
and  the  park  behind,  there  would  rise  a  better  class 
of  buildings  than  at  present ;  and  at  Republic  street, 
used  as  a  nucleus  of  a  broadened  way,  it  would  widen 
and  make  a  swinging  curve,  that  from  Main  street, 
would  open  a  fine  view  of  the  bluff,  and  firoceed 
directly  to  the  Plaza. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  well  to  note  the  fire 
guard  which  this  park  would  throw  around  the 
old  Mission  church,  and  to  speak  again  of  the  neces- 
sity and  appropriateness  of  providing  in  Los  Angeles 
more  facilities  for  open  air  enjoyment.  That  there  is 
demand  for  this  is  shown  by  the  condition  of  Central 
Park  and  the  Plaza,  which  all  day  the  year  round  are 
as  crowded  as  are  the  open  spaces  in  lower  New 
York  in  summer. 


/i/rr  sMiteKY. 


.  ..y 


'i«;e  .«.«■#'»  ft. »:•) 


I 


MtL 


PROPOSED  Site  for 


'public  iObrar/"'  ^rt  Giallery, 

'"'"*' j^PPROACHES. 


Charles  Mulford  f?obinsori 


I  have  .>|)iiken  of  Central  Park  as 
fcirniing  a  center  for  a  further  scheme 
of  im])r()venient.  'I'his  is  in  accord- 
ance with  my  wish  to  make  the  utmost 
use  possible  of  what  the  citv  alrea<lv 
has.     Central   I'ark.  however.  Iia^  the   further  and  ver\ 


Central   Park 

and  the 

Crown  of 

Fifth  Street. 


great  advantage  of  being  dincth  in  line  of  the  sug- 
gested imprcrvement  for  l''ifth  street.  If  the  widening 
of  that  thoroughfare,  which  I  have  advocated  for  a 
I'nion  Station  approach,  were  carried  as  far  as  Hill 
street,  it  would  come  directly  to  the  beginning  of 
Central  Park.     .\t  worst,  there  will  In-  onl\-  four  short 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIFORNIA 


blocks  of  narrower  streets  between  the  broad  concourse 
leading  down  to  the  station  and  the  developments  at 
Central  Park.  The  intimate  connection  of  these  with 
the  plans  for  a  handsomer  I^os  Angeles  is  thus  sug- 
gested. But  the  situation  is  strategic  also  in  respect  to 
the  boulevard  system. 

The  present  conditions  as  regards  Central  Park 
are  as  follows :  An  exceedingly  valuable  block  of 
ground  has  been  reserved  as  a  park.  In  common  with 
all  the  blocks  in  this  section  its  longer  axis  runs  north 
and  south,  and  it  is  twice  as  long  as  it  is  broad.  A 
flat  tract,  it  has  been  laid  off  in  walks  and  planted  in 
trees  and  grass  and  flowers.  In  the  center  an  ugly 
frame  structure  serves  as  a  covered  deck  for  women 
and  children,  and  on  occasion  as  a  band  stand.  Ba 
degrees  very  important  buildings  are  rising  around 
the  park.  ()n  one  side  are  the  California  Club  and  the 
immense  and  beautiful  Auditorium ;  on  two  other 
sides  are  important  churches ;  on  yet  other  abutting 
sides  tall  and  costly  buildings  are  rising.  The  park 
is  not  large  enough  now  to  accommodate  the  people 
who  crowd  into  it :  but  there  is  a  demand  for  a  better 
band  stand  and  for  better  provisions  for  concerts.  To 
the  west  of  the  park,  on  a  plat  similar  in  area,  but 
at  its  northwestern  corner  sloping  up  to  a  higher 
level,  there  are  now  no  important  improvements  ex- 
cept on  the  south  half.  Beyond  this  tract,  and  on  a 
hill  that  gives  to  it  a  very  commanding  site,  making 
the  terminus  and  crown  of  Fifth  street,  rises  the  Nor- 
mal School.  Its  building  is  visible  far  down  Fifth 
street,  and  the  State  has  announced  a  readiness  to  sell 
the  whole  big  plat  at  a  price  that  seems  to  be  reason- 
able. The  conditions  are  favorable  for  an  immediate 
and  stunning  effect. 

The  Normal  School  pro])crty  should  be  acquired 
for  the  city.  There  is  no  other  equally  large,  central 
and  advantageously  situated  tract  that  will  come  on  the 
market.  A  public  building,  erected  on  its  height,  will 
command  Fifth  street  and  occupy  a  superb  position 
in  the  building  up  of  the  Los  Angeles  City  Beautiful. 
On  this  site  I  would  place  the  Art  Gallery  and  Public 
Library,  which  the  city  must  soon  have.  The  details 
of  the' structures  can  be  left  to  the  architects.  Per- 
haps it  will  be  possible  to  combine  them  in  one  splen- 
did building,  or  it  may  be  better  to  construct  separate 
pavillions,  connected  by  open  colonnades,  the  white 
columns  showing  from  below  against  the  blue  Cali- 
fornia sky,  for  I  should  hope  that  the  effect  would  be 
Grecian.  Than  the  designing  of  this  construction, 
with  the  view  of  it  from  the  business  section,  with 
the  view  of  it  looking  north  from  Hope  street,  or 
south  from  Hope,  no  architect  who  loves  Los  Angeles 
could  ask  a  more  congenial  and  delightful  task.  Cer- 
tainly it  must  inspire  him  to  his  best  achievement,  for 
his  would  be  the  task  of  designing  the  acropolis  of  a 
great  city.  Nor  would  it  be  this  in  the  seeming  only. 
With  art  and  literature  on  the  hill,  the  Auditorium  at 
its  foot  stands  for  music,  and  the  churches  for  the 
spiritual,  and  so  there  is  created  here  a  cultural  center 
of  which  any  city  might  well  be  proud. 

Obviously,  to  complete  the  realization  of  the  op- 
portunity, there  must  be  a  connection  between  Central 


Park  and  the  Normal  School  property.  To  secure  this, 
the  north  half  of  the  short  intervening  block — and  by 
rare  good  luck  the  most  costly  part  of  it  is  still  vacant 
property — must  be  acquired  and  added  to  the  park. 
Sociologically,  there  is  need  for  it,  as  shown  by  the 
overcrowded  condition  of  Central  Park ;  but  scenic- 
ally,  and  from  the  standpoint  of  civic  development, 
it  would  be  little  short  of  a  crime  for  rich  Los  Angeles 
to  let  slip — and  let  slip  now,  it  is  gone  forever — the 
chance  to  create  the  "center"  here  described. 

\Mth  this  half  block  obtain.^d  and  added  to  Central 
Park,  there  should  be  a  radical  rearrangement  of  the 
present  square,  definite  landscape  design  taking  the 
place  of  the  present  haphazard  planting.  The  motif 
of  the  design  would  be  found  in  its  introduction  to  the 
buildings  on  the  hill.  The  whole  plan  would  lead  up 
to  them,  and  thev  would  crown  the  vistas.  In  sim- 
plification of  the  design,  and  to  obtain  happier  propor- 
tions, I  sugeest  that  the  tract  be  cut  into  two  distinct 
problems.  The  one  would  be  a  parallelogram,  occupy- 
ing the  south  half  of  the  present  Central  Park.  This 
would  be  practically  complete  in  itself.  The  other 
would  be  a  long  parallelogram,  fnim  Mill  street  to  a 
rectangular  plaza  at  Grand  avenue.  It  would  con- 
stitute the  forecourt,  or  park  approach,  to  the  struc- 
tures on  the  hill. 

In  carrying  out  the  plan  for  this  Mall,  the  trees — 
good  as  they  are — which  are  planted  between  the  walk 
and  the  curb  on  Fifth  street,  in  front  of  the  park, 
would  best  be  remo\-ed.  It  is  important  that  there  be 
given  a  broad  view  of  the  front  facade  of  the  build- 
ing. Mv  scheme  would  also  take  out  the  south  side- 
walk on  Fifth  street  from  Hill  to  Grand,  and 
w<nd(l  widen  the  Fifth  street  roadway  to  the  present 
park  line.  An  advantage  of  this  is  thit  it  would  seem 
to  add  to  the  width  of  Fifth  street  as  an  approach,  for 
the  line  of  trees  now  appear  to  cut  off  the  street  at 
the  curb  line  on  that  side,  and  that  -it  would  make 
am]3ler  provision   for  the  Auditorium  carriage  traffic. 

Within  the  park  bounds — the  present  bad,  sinuous 
walk  which  runs  close  to  the  stieet  sidewalk  having 
been  taken  out — I  would  put  a  broad,  straight  walk, 
leading  up  to  the  buildings  on  the  hill.  This  prome- 
nade would  be  thirty  feet  wide,  and  would  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  curb  by  fifteen  feet  of  turf,  on  which 
would  be  planted  roses.  On  the  other  side  of  it  there 
would  be  another  line  of  roses,  and  beyond  the  roses — 
the  grass  strip  here  being  thirty  feet  wide — a  row  of 
eucalyptus,  planted  thirty-five  feet  apart.  These,  and 
a  similar  row  beyond,  would  define  the  drive.  The 
rest  of  the  space  would  be  tree-dotted  lawn,  and  here 
nearh-  all  of  the  better  trees  which  are  now  within 
the  park  could  be  retained.  There  would  be  benches 
along  the  walk,  and  in  time,  at  this  cultural  center, 
along  the  rose-bordered  promenade,  there  may  be 
erected  sculptured  memorials  to  litterateurs,  musicians 
and  artists.  Walk  and  drive  would  merge  into  Hill 
street  bv  arcs  of  circles.  The  tall  eucalyptus  would 
produce  the  south  building  line  of  the  Library,  fram- 
ing with  the  tall  buildings  on  the  north  side  of  Fifth 
street  the  intervening  space  and  distinctly  defining  the 
forecourt,  or  apprmch,  while  the  Inw  roses  would  [jre- 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


The    Treatment   of   a    Part    of    the    Arroyo    Seco    in 
Private  Grounds,  Showing  Preservation 
of  Live  OaliS. 


serve  the  unbroken  view  up  to  the  hilUop  structures, 
and  from  them  would  make  a  lovely  picture — a  ta[''>s 
vert,  lined  with  roses — to  look  down  upon. 

As  to  the  plan  for  the  south  half  of  the  present 
park  site,  which  I  said  should  constitute  a  distinct 
desitjn,  my  idea  would  be  to  put  here  the  new  band 
stand.  The  little  sketch  sug,c;ests  how  this  plat  could 
b.;  developed.  The  band  stand  would  be  made  in 
shell  shape,  the  back  of  it  screened  by  tall  planting.  It 
should  be  some  little  distance  inside  the  entrance, 
and  face  in,  so  that  the  auditors  would  be  removed  as 
far  as  possible  from  the  street  noises,  and  that  the 
music  might  be  thrown  into  the  park.  I  have  sug- 
gested a  somewhat  formal  entrance  at  Sixth  and  Hill 
streets,  that  would  serve  as  a  vestibule,  and  the  sepa- 
ration of  the  concert  ]iark  from  the  Mall  Ijy  a  good 
deal  of  grou[),  or  mass,  ])lanting.  Under  the  stage  of 
the  band  stand,  there  would  be  storage  room  for  the 
excess  of  chairs  and  benches,  and  thus  when  concerts 
were  not  being  given  here,  the  space  would  be  avail- 
abU-  for  ordinary  park  uses,  a  sufficient  number  of 
scattered  seats  being  left,  and  there  being  enough 
trees  to  cast  a  shade.  Diagonal  paths  would  cross  the 
park,  as  now,  to  offer  short  cuts. 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  Mall,  T  would  suggest 
an  open  space  to  give  setting  to  ihe  buildings  when  one 


is  near  them.  In  the  perspective  view  from  the  lower 
end  of  the  scheme,  this  would  not  be  seen,  and  in  the 
view  east  from  the  buildings  one  would  look  over  it. 
The  drive,  it  will  be  observed,  makes  a  curve  at  the 
west  end  of  the  Mall,  and  proceeds  through  the  parked 
grounds  of  the  Library,  at  the  base  of  the  hill,  around 
the  buildings  and  to  Figueroa  street.  All  this  has 
something  to  do  with  the  boulevard  system,  of  which 
I  am  next  to  speak.  It  is  sufficient  to  note  here  that 
the  grade  by  which  Fifth  street  reaches  Grand  avenue 
ii.  by  this  means  avoided ;  and  that,  by  a  ])ark  road, 
reserved  for  pleasure  driving,  free  from  street  cars 
and  at  even  grade,  one  will  be  able  to  pass  from  Hill 
street  to  Figueroa — a  great  desideratum.  If,  now,  the 
broadened  avenue  which  is  to  lead  from  the  station  to 
Los  Angeles  street  were  continued  the  four  short 
blocks  to  Hill,  swinging  in  at  an  angle  to  joiti  with 
the  Mall,  what  a  drive  would  be  oiTered  from  the  sta- 
tion to  the  residential  sections ;  what  an  impression 
of  Los  Angeles  wotild  be  received  by  arriving  stran- 
gers !  It  ought  to  be  done.  When  Los  .'\ngeles  has 
a  million  peo])le,  such  an  east  and  west  artery  wottld 
be  of  incalculable  benefit :  but  it  will  be  too  late  then 
to  get  it. 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIFORNIA 


77f  S/L  y£/?  LJt/fs/fese^yw^ 


Proposed  Boulevards 
lgsangeles 


INSIDE  THE  CITY  LIMITS. 


SO; 


Charlas  fDi/lford  i^obinsoa. 


jK^tftfu.owpi^r^ 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


PARKS,  BOULEVARDS  AND  PARK- 
WAYS 

A  citv's  boulevards  serve  tw-o  purposes.  They  con- 
stitute, or  ought  to  constitute,  on  the  one  liar.d.  a 
system  of  pleasure  drives.  In  the  performance  of  this 
function  they  should  so  connect  the  different  parks 
that  tiic  parks  will  themselves  be  links  in  the  chain ; 
thev  should,  if  practicable,  oft'er  scenic  attractions  in 
themselves ;  they  should  be  varied — carefully  avoid- 
ing the  monotony  of  urban  uniformity  that  would  re- 
sult from  a  continuously  broad  way ;  and  in  some 
portion,  if  possible,  they  should  possess  a  stateliness 
and  even  magnificence  of  their  own.  On  the  other 
hand,  one  of  their  purposes  is  utilitarian,  to  the  ex- 
tent that  thev  are  to  furnish  convenient  and  easy 
access  between  the  various  residential  sections,  and  be- 
tween these  and  the  business  section.  Of  course,  any 
good  boulevard  system  combines  the  two  purposes. 

In  Los  .\ngeles  there  is  now  no  boulevard  system 
whatever,  and  in  attempting  to  create  one  there  is  the 
almost  constant  obstacle  of  a  double  car  track  on  every 
street  of  considerable  breadth  and  easy  grade. 

THE    WEST    SIDE    CIRCUIT. 

T,.  To  this   rule    Figueroa   is,   happih', 

J?  to    some    extent    an    exception.       .a 

cross-town  street,  eighty  feet  wide, 
traversing  the  city  from  end  to  end.  with  car 
tracks  on  barely  half  of  it,  arterial  to  well 
developed  and  "close  in"  residential  sections,  and 
for  a  long  distance  lined  with  expensive  houses 
in  ample  grounds,  it  at  once  suggests  itself  as 
an  important  link  of  the  chain.  To  the  south  it  comes 
within  a  few  feet  of  the  proposed  Agricultural  Park  ; 
to  the  north  it  connects  with  Sunset  boulevard,  at  only 
a  few  blocks  from  an  entrance  to  Elysian  Park.  Sun- 
set boulevard,  bridging  this  distance,  is  to  be  widened 
to  a  hundred  feet. 

But  Figueroa,  to  be  the  worthy  boulevard  its  geo- 
gra]ihical  position  suggests,  needs  some  things  done  to 
it.  It  ought  not  to  be  difficult  to  have  the  car  tracks 
removed  from  the  little  300-foot  block  between  Boston 
street  and  vSunset  boulevard  ;  and  it  might  he  possible 
to  get  them  off  a  good  deal  of  the  rest  of  the  street, 
if  the  tracks  of  Flower  street  could  be  made  use  of. 
It  would  be  worth  mnking  a  strong  and  united  eft'ort 
to  this  end,  if  Ijy  so  doing  one  broad,  fine  cross-town 
street  could  be  reserved  for  driving  without  the  annoy- 
ance and  danger  of  tracks  and  cars.  Then  there  is  a 
bad  hill,  where  Figueroa  ri.ses  to  the  grade  of  First 
street  at  that  thoroughfare's  intersection,  and  as  ab- 
ruptly falls  again  ;  and  in  this  region  and  beyond  an 
luiimproved  hillside  abuts  on  it,  and  the  street  itself 
is  lost  in  a  road  that  wanders  from  side  to  side  of  the 
platted  riglit  of  way.  I  append  a  ])hotograph,  which 
shows  the  condition  and  the  opjjortunity.  There 
should  be  a  little  more  cutting  into  the  hill,  and  then 
a  short  tunnel  imder  First  street,  to  maintain  fur  ilio 
boulevard  an  even  grade.  This  tunnel  is  so  short  that 
the  benefit  would  l>e  far  beyond  the  cost.  Then  the 
stee])  hillsi<le.  which  is  of  so  little  use  for  other  pur- 
pose-;, -luinld  l)e  acquired  and  made  Invelv  with  plant- 


ing, and  for  the  little  space  here,  where  nothing  has 
been  done,  much  can  be  done,  to  make  the  boulevard 
attractive — a  stretch  of  it  in  park-like  road. 

The  southern  portion  of  Figueroa — say,  south  from 
Washington — is  fairly  good,  as  a  street  link  of  a  future 
boulevard  system  :  but  its  pavement  is  not  in  such  con- 
dition that  a  speedv  renewal  may  not  be  anticipated. 
When  the  repaving  is  done,  it  would  be  well  for  the 
jjroperty  owners  to  give  up  ten  feet  on  each  side, 
that  the  boulevard  might  be  made  a  hundred  feet 
wide.  As  the  houses  stand  back  from  the  street  in 
considerable  groimds,  the  subtraction  of  garden  space 
would  not  be  serious — the  less  so.  since  the  whole  re- 
sulting addition  to  street  width  would  go  into  street 
parking,  and  so  virtually  be  added  again  to  the  lots, 
while  making  the  street  far  handsomer.  In  return 
for  this  relinquishment  by  the  property  holders,  the  city 
should  agree  to  take  care,  through  the  park  depart- 
ment, of  the  whole  planting  strip  between  walk  and 
curb.  There  would  then  be  a  broad  and  fine  north  and 
south  boulevard  through  the  heart  of  the  city.  The 
present  drivewa\-  and  walks  are  wide  enough  and  the 
increased  ten  feet  on  each  side,  added  to  the  present 
parking,  developed  on  a  single  comprehensive  scheme, 
and  kept  in  uniformly  good  condition,  would  certainly 
make  a  beautiful  street.  It  seems  to  me  there  can  be 
no  question  that  the  property  owners  would  profit  by 
the  change.  Their  frontage  would  not  be  reduced, 
and  the  slight  lessening  in  the  depth  of  the  lots  would 
be  more  than  balanced  by  the  change  of  their  loca- 
tion from  that  on  an  ordinary  tvpe  of  residential  street 
to  one  on  a  boulevard  which  in  some  respects  would 
have  no  equal  in  the  city.  As  it  would  carry  a  cease- 
less stream  of  carriage  travel,  it  would  necessarily 
become  a  show  drive,  and  I  would  have  seats  at  inter- 
vals along  the  wide  side  parking,  in  furtherance  of  the 
purpose  to  facilitate  the  city's  outdoor  life.  What  is 
the  use  of  coming  to  a  Southern  California  city  to 
live,  if  the  street  is  to  be  only  a  crowded,  narrow,  run- 
wav  from  house  to  house  ? 

With  Figueroa  street  thus  transformed,  as  with 
the  right  sort  of  spirit  can  be  done  for  practically 
nothing,  think  what  Los  Angeles  would  have  for  its 
own  pleasure  and  comfort,  and  to  imiiress  strangers, 
in  the  way  of  a  distributing  artery  of  traffic.  From 
the  Union  Station  up  the  avenue  of  broarlened  Fifth 
street,  through  the  "Mall,  with  the  buildings  on  the 
hill  that  crowns  it  gleaming  against  the  sky,  by  the 
parkway  that  is  to  wind  through  the  garden  at  its 
base,  and  so  to  Figueroa  boulevard,  which  in  its  sev- 
eral miles  would  take  most  of  the  world  near  home. 

.  .  To  the  south,   Figueroa,  at  the  in- 

^Sp'^"^"''^  ter.section  of  Santa  Monica  avenue, 
comes  to  an  open  s])ace  which  is  only 
a  few  feet  from  the  proposed  .\gricultural  Park.  T 
cannot  over-emjihasize  the  imnortance  of  extending 
the  paik.  for  its  whole  length  if  practicable,  to  Figue- 
roi  street;  lint  cerfiiuly  :\\  its  northeast  corner  by  a 
s])ace  large  enough  to  make  this  the  main  entrar.ce 
to  the  park.  It  does  not  seeiu  to  me  to  lie  worth  while 
to  make  any  development  plan  for  the  park  which 
does  not  assmne  that  this  will  be  done,  and  as  to  ex- 


LOS     AXGELES.     CALIFORNIA 


The    Charm   of   the    Curving   Residential    Street,    in 

Quarters     Where     Sharp     Corners    and     Long 

Straight   Lines    Are    a    False   Note. 

tending  the  park  for  its  whole  length  to  Figtieroa.  it 
is  a  safe  rule  in  urban  park  making  to  make  public 
streets,  not  private  property,  the  boundary.  In  this 
particular  case,  where  the  proposed  park  is  the  only 
one  in  a  very  large,  very  populous  and  fast-growing 
district,  and  where  there  is  every  evidence  that  from 
the  first  it  will  be  overcrowded,  the  increase  of  acre- 
age which  woaild  result  from  extension  to  Figueroa 
is  especially  important.  For  the  plan  of  development 
which  has  been  so  carefully  worked  out,  much  good 
can  be  said :  but  it  needs  modification  to  the  extent 
of  making  the  main  entrance  from  Figueroa. 


South  Park. 


In  this  connection  it  may  be  noted 
that  what  was  said  of  the  advisability 
of  extcnfling  Agricultural  Park  to  Figueroi  street, 
applies  with  almost  equal  force  to  the  extension  of 
Soutli  Park  to  Forty-ninth  street.  This  should  cer- 
tainly be  (lone,  and  the  fact  that  it  is  now  under  con- 
sideration, after  soine  houses  have  been  erected  on 
the  intervening  strip,  should  furnish  sufficient  argu- 
ment for  the  timely  extension  at  Figueroa. 

q  .  Now  proceeding  north  by  Figueroa 

•D„  1=   -_j       street,    we    come,    through    a    narrow 

Boulevard.  ^      ^  ■     <.     u  ■     a    ■     ^         n 

]iark  .'■.tn]5  to  be  acquired,  just  north 

of  First  street,  to  Sunset  boulevard.     My  conception 

of  this  street  is  that  within  the  citv  lirnits,   at  least. 

it  can  never  be  a  real  boulevard  in  the  common  sense 

of  that  term — which  would  require  its  restriction  to 

light  pleasure  driving.     I   think  it  will   carry  a  very 

heavy   travel,   and   will  be   an   exceedinglv   important 

thoroughfare,    and    for    the    street    as    a    whole,    the 

boulevard    conception    is    not,    I    believe,    practicable. 

Nevertheless,     Sunset's    desirable    location,     and     its 

breadth    of    a    hundred    feet,    invite    a    use    of    short 

stretches  of  it  as  boulevard  connections.     In  the  city 

limits    the    principal    stretch    to   be   so   used    is    from 

Figueroa  street  to  an  Echo  Park  entrance. 

This  is  an  excellent  part  of  the  street.     It  passes 

the  Sisters'  Hospital,  commandinglv  situated  in  large 


grounds:  it  touches  the  Elysian  Park  entrance  drive; 
ar.d  it  passes  the  fine  wall  of  rock  which  rises  on  its 
south  side  just  east  of  Portia  street.  This  wall  of 
rock  is  so  precipitous  and  high  that  building  on  the 
top  is  hardly  to  be  thought  of,  and  as  blasting  out  for 
a  site  at  street  level  would  be  very  costly,  it  ought  to 
be  easv  property  to  acquire.  In  its  natural  state  it  is 
a  picturesque  and  stunning  attraction  to  this  section 
of  the  street :  but  some  signs  are  now  being  posted 
over  it  and  it  seems  not  unlikelv  to  become  an  eye- 
sore that  will  degrade  the  neighborhood.  The  city, 
desiring  to  make  use  of  this  section  of  Sunset  boule- 
vard as  a  link  of  the  encircling  chain  of  drives, 
would  do  well,  therefore,  to  obtain  the  rock  wall  and 
keep  it  beautiful.  Mnes  against  it  would  heighten 
its  picturesqueness. 

.1-,,     .  I  •  have  said  that  Elvsian  Park  en- 

p^    ,  trance    drive   is   passed.      With    some 

improvement,  a  widening  of  the  nar- 
rower parts  and  a  bettering  of  the  turns,  this  could 
be  made  a  pleasant  park  entrance — though  the  city 
should  insure  the  preservation  of  its  beauty  by  own- 
ing it  all,  and  a  fringe  of  land  on  either  side  of  it. 
Once  in  the  park,  the  seven-mile  drive  could  be  used 
as  a  loop  in  various  directions — as  back  to  town, 
through  the  Fremont  Gate,  or  to  Griffith  Park,  by  way 
of  the  ravine  and  Los  Feliz  road,  or  back  to  Sunset 
boulevard  bv  Portia  street. 


The  Palm  Drive,  Buenos  Aires — The  Beautiful  Avenue, 
Several  Miles  Long.  Is  the  Place  Where  the  Fashion- 
able Equipages  of  Society  Are  Seen— It  Is  Lined  With 
Comfortable  Seats,  and  Is  a  Constant  Attraction  to 
Tourists  and  Residents,  in  Its  Invitation  to  Life  Out- 
of-doors. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


ilauy  Such  Parkings  Are  To  Be  Seen  and  Should  Be  Encouraged  by  Our  Citizens. 


The  construction  of  good  approaches  to  Elysiaii 
Park  will  very  greatly  increase  the  park's  popularity 
and  usefulness ;  but  such  change  is  even  more  needed 
along  purely  democratic  lines.  The  park  should  be, 
a.;  in  fact  it  is.  the  one  great  People's  Park  of  Los 
Angeles,  and  should  be  utilized  and  enjcr\-ed  to  the 
full.  It  ought  to  be  the  popular  place  for  picnics. 
Uncc  the  people  learn  to  go  there,  to  feel  its  intimate 
association  with  their  own  lives,  there  will  be  no  diffi- 
culty about  securing  large  appropriations  for  its  de- 
velopment and  care.  It  will  be  easier  then  to  employ 
a  himdred  men  in  its  improvement  and  maintenance 
than  it  is  now  to  get  twelve.  But  people  never  will 
use  Elysian  Park  in  this  way  until  it  is  made  acces- 
sible for  them,  and  to  this  end  I  strongly  favor  the 
admission  of  a  car  line.  It  is  possible  to  so  "plant 
out"  the  car  t"".cks  that  thev  will  not  seem  to  intrude, 
and  the  resul'.iig  convenience  to  the  public  will  justify 
the  privilege.  Finally,  it  should  not  only  be  made 
easy  for  the  people  to  get  to  the  ]iark,  but  at  first  they 
must  lie  taught  to  want  to  go  there.  The  cars  would 
probably  enter  by  the  Chavez  Ravine.  Beyond  the 
nursery,  and  near  where  the  road  crosses  the  ravine, 
there  is  an  opportunitv  for  the  construction  of  a  nat- 
ural amphitheater,  which  could  be  used  for  Irnid  and 
other  concerts.  This  ought  to  be  an  immenselv  poj)- 
ular  feature  in  Los  .\ngeles,  both  with  residents  and 
with  tourists:  and  it  is  one  of  the  things  which  the 
city,  as  a  great  pleasure  metropolis,  boastful  that 
"every  month  is  June,"  o\ight  to  provide.  .\s  to  the 
importance  of  the  city's  acquiring  the  jirivately-owned 


hill  which  now  juts  into  the  park  holdings  in  such  a 
way  that  it  has  even  been  necessary  to  put  a  portion  of 
the  park  drive  upon  it,  there  is  hardly  required  a  word 
of  mine.     That  is  obvious. 

The  shortest  loop  through  the  park,  if  one  entered 
bv  the  Elysian  Park  drive,  would  be  to  pass  out  by 
way  of  the  entrance  near  Portia  street,  and  so  back 
to  Sunset  boulevard.  The  grading  of  Portia  street 
looks  as  if  it  had  been  expressly  designed  to  discour- 
age such  use  of  the  street,  for  rather  than  veer  the 
least  particle  from  a  straight  line,  it  goes  to  the  top 
of  the  hill  by  the  steepest  and  worst  course,  and  then 
compels  the  traveler  to  go  two  sides  of  a  triangle, 
when  a  short  hypothenuse  would  have  lowered  the 
grade  and  have  been  direct.  In  creating  the  boulevard 
svstem  of  Los  Angeles  it  will  be  well  to  construct  the 
few  hundred  feet  of  that  iiypothenuse.  A  slightly 
longer  loop  through  the  park  would  take  one  out  by 
Morton  avenue,  and  thence  to  Sunset.  To  make  this 
route  attractive,  a  deeper  cut  must  be  made  at  the  jiark 
lir.e.  as  it  can  be  easilv  and  iiiex])ensively. 

_  ,       Tj     ■  Returned    to    Sunset    boulevard,    a 

h.cho  Hark.       ,^j^^,^.    ^^    ^^^.^    ^^^^^^    p^^.^;^    ^.^^^^^ 

brinu's  one  op])osite  Echo  Park.  The  natural  entrance 
to  that  at  present  is  by  Echo  Park  drive.  The  sug- 
gestion has  been  inevitably  made  that  Echo  Park 
ought  to  be  extended  to  Sunset  boulevard.  In  addition 
to  the  general  arguments  for  such  cxtcr.sion,  it  may 
be  noted  that  the  slightly  irregular  topography  of  the 
intervening  land  would  lend  itself  well  to  park  de- 
velopment,    ^'et  T  am  not  ]ircpared  to  urge  the  exten- 


LOS     AXGELES,     CALIFORXIA 


sion.  If  Sunset  boulevard  develops  as  a  semi-busi- 
ness street,  neither  park  nor  street  woujd  gain  much 
by  the  juxtaposition;  and  in  any  case  there  are  other 
adcHtions  of  territory  to  Echo  Park  which  seem  to  me 
much  more  important.  But  a  broad  boulevard  en- 
trance from  Sunset  would  be  desirable  if  the  land  for 
this  purpose   will  be  given. 

The  other  territory  which  1  have  in  mind  as  a 
desirable  addition  to  Echo  Park  is  the  hillside  on  the 
east.  And  that  on  the  west  is  hardly  less  important. 
I'hese  frame  the  picture  which  the  park  makes.  It  is 
impossible  to  get  awav  from  them,  and  as  long  as  they 
remain  in  private  hands,  the  beauty  and  charm  of  the 
park  is  in  jeopardy.  The  tops  of  those  hills  are  the 
])ark"s  natural  boundaries :  their  slopes  can  make  it 
or  mar  it ;  they  may  be  made  beautiful  with  planting, 
or  thev  may — if  not  acquired — be  covered  with  glar- 
ing billboards,  or  otherwise  so  used  as  to  ruin  the  park 
picture.  Simplv  to  safeguard  the  present  investment, 
those  hills  should  be  accjuired. 

rp         ,  Proceeding  along  the  edge  of  the 

o        .  lake  and  past  the  playground,  which 

I  should  like  to  see  outlined 
with  a  hedge,  the  boulevard  drive  of  the  imier 
west  circuit  reaches  Temple  street.  Though  this 
thoroughfare  carries  car  tracks  and  is  likely 
always  to  be  the  weakest  link  in  the  chain, 
it  has  not  yet  been  improved ;  and  when  its 
improvement  is  planned,  there  should  be  remembrance 
of  its  necessity — for  its  directness  and  easv  grade — as 
a  driving  connection  between  Echo  Park  and  Occi- 
dental boulevard.  For  Occidental,  or  one  of  the  rival 
roadways  just  east  of  it,  ought,  certainly,  to  be  con- 
tinued through  to  Temple  street. 

In  spite  of  its  flowers  and  its  width 
of  1 20  feet,  there  will  never  be  much 
point  to  Occidental  boulevard,  nor 
justification  for  the  name  boulevard,  until  it  is  cut 
through  and  given  adequate  connections.  A  city 
like  Los  Angeles  should  be  ashamed  to  have  a 
boulevard  that  starts  out  with  so  much  pretension,  and 
stops  in  a  couple  of  blocks  or  so,  in  a  ciil  dc  sac.  The 
extension  would  not  necessarily  have  to  be  made  in  a 
straight  line.  It  could  be  accomplished,  if  desired, 
without  platting  a  new  street,  for  the  slight  jog,  if 
made  in  a  graceful  curve,  would  not  be  an  lUipleasant 
feature  on  a  pleasure  drive.  When  the  boulevard  has 
been  extended,  the  electric  lights,  now  hung  from  tem- 
porary wooden  poles  through  the  center  of  the  street, 
should  be  put  on  permanent  standards  that  mav  be 
placed  in  the  middle  of  the  circular  beds. 

( )ccidental  boulevard  terminates  to  the  south  in 
Simset  Park.  Thence  one  may  turn  east  on  broad 
Wileshire  Ijoulevard.  and  in  a  few  hundred  feet  reach 
Westlake  Park.  From  there  either  Sixth  or  Seventh 
street  takes  one  directlv  back,  by  a  ji'easant  way,  to 
Figueroa :  and  the  inner  western  circuit  has  been 
completed. 

A  longer  circuit  will  take  one  from  Elvsian  Park 
to  Griffith  Park,  and  thence  back  by  the  Silver  Lake 
reservoir  to  Sunset  boulevard  and   Echo  Park;    and 


Occidental 
Boulevard. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


yiiowiug  Entrance  to  the  Host  Civically  Beautiful  Memorial   Park  in  the  West. 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIFORNIA 


The  Landscape  Effects  Pussibk 
Civic     Art 


iu  Southern  California    Should 
to    Great    Endeavor. 


Encourage 


Los  Feliz 
Road. 


a  longer  circuit  still  would  lead  one  from  Griffith  Park 
to  Vermont  avenue,  and  so  directly  scruth  to  Agricul- 
tural Park.  It  is  clear  that  in  either  case  the  connec- 
tion between  Elysian  and  Griffith  parks  is  important, 
as  the  drive  imiting  the  two  largest  parks  would  in 
any  event  be. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  Los  Feliz 
nnd  as  the  eisiest  pnd  most  natural 
connection.  Following  the  general 
course  of  the  river,  it  takes  the  low  hnds,  but  offers  a 
noble  view  of  the  mountains.  For  the  entire  distance, 
from  Elysian  to  Griffith,  it  should  be  made  a  jjarkway. 

This  does  not  mean  that  it  should  be  verv  broad — 
any  "boulevard"  effect  here  wcndd  be  out  of  place ;  but 
it  does  mean  that  the  city  should  acquire  a  broad 
enough  strip  on  cither  side  of  the  road  to  insure  the 
preservation  of  the  beauty  of  the  drive,  making  pos- 
sible such  continuitv  of  park  effect  that  in  driving 
from  Elvsian  to  Griffith,  one  will  not  be  conscious  that 


the  park  has  been  left.  The  treatment  should  be  nat- 
ural, rather  than  formal  or  decorative;  and  the 
width  of  the  holdings  may  vary  according  to  local 
conditions.  Often,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  they  would  ex- 
tend to  the  river's  further  shore. 

My  idea  would  be  a  carriage  road,  with  automo- 
biles restricted  to  a  low  speed  limit,  for  the  whole 
scheme  here  should  be  restful, .  tranquil  and  lovely ; 
and  then,  separated  from  the  carriage  road  by  a  strip 
planted  in  shrubs  and  low  trees,  and  not  always  ex- 
actly paralleling  the  carriage  road,  a  bridle  path. 

In  Griffith  Park  itself  there  should 
be  many  bridle  trails.  Of  this  park, 
perhaps  the  most  apt  expression  I  have  heard  is  that, 
"It  can  be  left  very  beautiful."  This  indicates  what 
is  likely  to  be  the  park's  greatest  danger — a  danger 
which  is  less  evident  now  than  it  may  be  later,  viz, 
that  it  will  be  over-improved.  It  ought  to  be  allowed 
to  remain  a  beautiful,  natural,  mountain  park.  As 
sfch  it  is  a  unique  and  priceless  possession  for  the  city. 


Griffith  Park. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


A  Los  Angeles  Residence  Showing  Sunken  Gardens  and  the  Beautiful 
Effect  Possible  in  Private  Landscape  Gardening. 


A  Hill  Drive. 


Without  injtiring  this  effect,  it  would  be  possible  in 
some  of  its  broad  extent  to  establish  a  valuable 
arboretum. 

While  the  Los  Feliz  road  is  much 
the  easiest  from  Elysian  Park  to 
Griffith  Park,  a  connection  of  extraordinary  gran- 
deur can  be  secured  by  takino-  a  hig-h  level  drive  along 
the  top  of  the  hills,  until  the  valley  of  Silver  Lake 
reservoir  is  reached.  This  would  make  a  magnificent 
scenic  route,  well  worth  the  city's  construction  in  con- 
nection with  the  parks.  From  Elvsian  Park,  such  a 
drive  would  wind  down  through  the  ravine  north  of 
Cerro  Gordo  to  Avon  street.  Thence  it  would  get 
over  to  Landa  street,  which  is  virtuallv  a  continuation 
of  Echo  Park  road,  and  twist  around  the  north  side 
of  the  hill,  opening  superb  views,  and  bv  a  high  rus- 
tic viaduct  cross  the  valley  and  Glcndale  railroad  to 
the  saddle  between  the  wooded  hills  to  the  west.  From 
there  it  would  pass  down  to  the  reservoir  site.  As  the 
city  possesses  i6o  acres  here,  of  which  ion  are  in  the 
reservoir  lake,  this  will,  naturally,  be  parked  in  time, 
and  would  make  in  itself  a  sufficient  goal.  P>ut  it  is 
on  the  way.  by  this  route,  to  Griffith  Park.  So  if  one 
desired  to  go  further,  a  sliort  and  pleasant  drive  north 
would  bring  one  to  Los  Feliz  road. 

If  the  return  to  town  be  made  friwii  the  reservoir 
])ark.  the  mute  would  lie  via  Ivanhoc  avenue. 
.Messandro  street — which  in  this  section  has  been  plat- 
ted one  hundred  an<l  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
wide — and   then   hv  either   Ali'utana  nvemie  or   ,\lva- 


Vermont 
Avenue. 


rado  street  to  Sunset  Ixiulevard  at  a  point  almost  op- 
posite Echo  Park. 

The  return  from  Griffith  Park  to 
the  city  by  the  longer  loop,  via  \'er- 
mont  avenue,  could  now  be  pretty 
easily  developed  into  a  fine  drive.  It  may  be  said  in 
connection  with  this  route,  with  the  Los  Feliz  road, 
or  with  the  high-level  course  from  Elysian  Park  to 
the  reservoir,  and  as  might  be  said  of  other  boulevard 
connections,  that  the  property  needed  by  the  city  ought 
to  be  given  to  it  without  cost,  for  such  development. 
The  benefit  to  property  of  location  on  the  boulevard 
circuit  is  verv  great,  and  in  other  cities  it  is  almost 
always  the  rule  that  property  owners  are  .glad  enough 
to  give  the  necessary  land  if  so  they  can  secure  the 
parkway  or  boulevard.  Yet  in  other  cities  the  bene- 
fit of  such  location  would  probably  not  compare  with 
the  advantages  here  to  be  derived. 

\'ermont  avenue  crosses  Wilshire  boulevard. 
While  I  have  had  no  time  to  go  into  the  platting  of 
those  long,  outside  drives,  which  must  l>e  a  feature 
of  the  greater  Los  Angeles,  and  which  can  hardly  be 
planned  too  soon,  it  is  clear  that  the  junction  point  of 
these  two  boulevards  is  of  a  civic  significance  which 
should  be  marked. 

(  )n  the  one  hand.  \'crmont  lies 
long  and  straight — a  potential  boule- 
vard from  the  mountains  to  the  sea ; 
on  the  other,  \\'ilshire — passing  from  Westlake  Park. 
tlirough    Sunset    Park,    tn    the    Soldier's    Home,    and 


Wilshire 
Boulevard. 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIFORNIA 


thence  by  two  routes  to  the  coast  boulevard  at  Santa 
Monica — is  more  boulevard-bke  now  than  anything 
else  Los  Angeles  has.  It  should  be  further  developed. 
its  great  width  in%iting  a  strij)  of  middle  parking  for 
the  whole  length.  As  to  the  junction  with  \"ermont. 
here  is  a  place,  having  no  heavy  traffic  but  demanding 
dignity  of  treatment,  where  a  Rond  Point,  such  as 
those  which  are  so  striking  a  feature  of  Paris,  should 
be  arranged.  .\t  the  intersection  of  such  broad  streets, 
its  creation  is  a  matter  of  surface  development  and 
rounded  corners,  rather  than  of  the  purchase  of  much 
additional  land.  From  Agricultural  Park  to  South 
Park,  a  short  stretch  through  a  region  where  propertv 
is  not  expensive,  it  should  be  possible  to  get  a  broad 
diagonal  parkway. 

But  the  boulevards  of  Los  Angeles  nirst  not  all 
be  to  the  west  and  connecting  west  side  ])arks.  There 
is  a  large  portion  of  the  population  which  lives  east  of 
the  river,  arid  the  course  of  the  heaviest  pleasure  driv- 
ing is  probably  between  Los  Angeles  and  Pasadena, 
unsatisfactory  as  are  the  present  conditions. 

From  the  .Administrative  Center,  at 
Tem])le  and  New  High  streets,  by 
the  Park  road,  into  which  New  High  is  thence  to 
bo  converted  ;  or  from  the  Plaza,  by  the  widened  vSun- 
set  boulevard,  taking  its  start  at  the  old  Mission  and 
passing  under  the  proposed  El  Camino  Real  arch,  one 
comes  into  the  broad  street  which  is  to  swing  around 
the  base  of  the  north  slope  of  Fort  Hill.  The  hillside 
will  have  been  made  into  a  park,  and  from  the  outlook 
point  at  the  terminus  of  Hill  street,  on  the  summit  of 
the  bluff,  tliere  will  be  a  fine  view  of  Castelar  street, 
which  from  Sunset  boulevard  stretches  to  the  north. 


Castelar 

and 

Buena  Vista 

Streets. 


To  Pasadena. 


Because  manufacturing  has  already 
got  into  Pjuena  \ista  street,  north  of 
Sunset,  and  the  thoroughfare  seems 
past  redemption  for  a  boulevard, 
while  Castelar  is  liroad,  free  of  car 
tracks,  and  easily  improved,  I  select  the  lat- 
ter as  the  boulevard  route  to  the  north.  As 
this  route,  direct  to  Elysian  Park,  to  the  San 
Fernando  \'alley.  to  the  Arroyo  Seco,  and  to 
Pasadena,  is  destined  to  carry  a  heavy  pleasure 
traffic,  it  is  worth  doing  a  good  deal  for.  Lying 
through  Sonora  town,  the  improvements  along  it  are 
not  without  interest  now,  but  as  they  would  probably 
pass  w'ith  the  boulevard  development  of  the  street,  the 
latter  may  as  well  be  widened  at  once  to  a  hundred 
feet  or  more,  and,  with  a  central  strip  planted  in  palms, 
made  a  striking  stretch  of  boulevard.  At  its  starting 
point,  from  Sunset,  I  would  have  it  swing  out  in  gen- 
erously rounded  corners,  so  creating  a  Place  that  will 
be  pleasant  to  look  down  upon  from  the  Hill-street 
persfola — much  as  one  looks  down  from  the  Pincian 
in  Rome  to  the  paved  open  space  below — and  that  will 
make  a  fitting  gateway  to  the  long  reaches  of  the 
boidevard.  It  will  be  observed  that  I  have  recom- 
mended more  than  one  such  development.  They  give, 
in  the  midst  of  the  citv  streets,  a  fine  air  of  spacious- 
ness and  amplitude — the  sort  of  effect  that  should  be 
characteristic  of  a  city  in  California,  where  every- 
thing is  big,  and  the  cramped,  the  mean,  and  the 
crowded  have  no  proper  place.  Then  at  its  other  end 
Castelar  should  be  extended  and  swung  rather  sharply 
to  the  right — on  a  curve,  of  course, — to  strike  Buena 
\'ista  street  at  the  angle,  between  Bernardo  and  Cot- 
tage Home. 


Pergola  Effect,  Los   Augeles   Residence. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


From  this  pdiiit.  plans  have  been  already  matured 
for  the  widening  of  Biiena  \'ista  street  by  twenty  feet, 
and  for  the  removal  of  the  ugly  brown  fence  on  its 
east  side.  When  this  is  taken  down,  there  should  be 
substituted  for  it  a  low  parapet  which  will  ojjen  the 
view  of  the  railroad's  yards,  which  by  day  arc  inter- 
esting, and  at  night  are  beautiful  with  their  jeweled 
studding  of  lights.  Avoiding  the  awkward  turn  at 
tlie  Fremont  Gate  to  Elysian  Park,  it  is  planned  that 
the  new  viaduct  shall  carry  the  street  in  a  straight  line 
over  the  railroad  tracks  and  across  the  river,  where, 
swinging  to  right  and  left,  it  will  reach  Downey  and 
Pasadena  avenues.  This  is  one  of  the  best  improve- 
ments that  has  been  planned  for  L<is  .-Xngeles,  quite 
worthy  the  newly  awakened  ambition  of  the  city,  and 
the  onlv  pity  is  that  there  should  be  willingness  to 
C()m]ironiise  on  the  beautv  of  the  bridge.  l'>ecause 
the  railroad  objects  to  allowing  space  in  its  yards  for 
piers,  it  is  proposed  at  that  part  of  the  viaduct  to  de- 
part from  the  concrete  arch  type,  which  is  to  be  the 
style  of  the  bridge  in  its  other  portions,  and  to  give  it 
overhead  steel  braces.  This  will  very  greatly  diminish 
the  whole  effect :  it  will  change  a  stunriing  improve- 
ment to  a  common])lace  one.  With  the  realization  of 
the  function  which  this  viaduct  is  to  perform  there 
ought  to  be  absolute  insistence  on  the  preservation  of 
the  beautv  of  the  bridge. 


Pasadena 
Avenue. 


Taking  the  left  arm  of  the  viaduct, 
Pasadena  avenue — here  a  broad 
street — is  reached,  and  a  few  blocks 
brii.gs  one  to  Twenty-sixth  street,  where  it  makes  its 
turn.  The  turn  is  an  important  point.  The  little  tri- 
angle that  closes  the  vista  of  the  street  might  well  be 
acquired  and  parked;  Twenty-sixth  street,  as  the 
best  ap])roach  to  the  San  Fernando  road,  should  be 
widened  and  straightened  from  here,  and  given  a  bet- 
ter bridge :  the  corner  between  Pasadena  avenue  and 
Twenty-sixth  street  should  be  rounded,  so  improving 
the  point  of  intersection,  and  from  this  junction  Pasa- 
dena avenue  should  itself  be  broadened,  to  harmonize 
with  its  broader  portions  beyond,  and  should  he  given 
a  better  bridge.  As  there  are  small  home  gardens  on 
either  side  of  the  street  between  the  Twenty-sixth 
street  corner  and  the  Arroyo,  the  widening  should  not 
h^  costly.  Beyond  the  bridge,  it  would  not  be  my  idea 
to  use  Pasadena  avenue  as  a  boulevard ;  but  it  is  des- 
tined always  to  carry  a  heavy  interurban  and  suburban 
traffic,  and  should  be  as  much  improved  as  possible. 
The  treatment  of  the  car  tracks  opposite  Sycamore 
Grove,  where  they  are  on  a  slightly  raised  roadbed, 
separated  from  the  drive  by  a  curb,  is  here  a  good 
plan.  It  should  Ijc  repeated  on  the  avenue  wherever 
conditions  |)eniiit. 


The  New  Walnut  Lane  Bridge  Over  the  Wi.ssuhickon  Creek,    PhUudelphia — a     Beautiful     Concrete     Structure     Such     as 
Should  Span  the  Arroyo  Seco.     This  Was  Designed  and   Constructed   b.v  the  Bureau  of   Surveys,   Phila- 
delphia, and  Sets  a  High  Standard  to  Other  Cities. 


Arroyo  Seco. 


.•\t  the  bridge,  we  reach  the  .\rrnyo 
Seco.  There  is  great  unanimity  of 
opinion  that  along  that  watercourse  there  should  be  a 
drive  to  Pasadena.  There  is  great  diversity  of  o])in- 
ion  as  to  the  character  which  the  drive  should  have. 


Am  analysis  of  the  Arroyo's  charm  must  intlicate  the 
type  to  be  selected.  If  the  charm  of  the  ravine  lies 
in  its  picturesc|ueness,  in  its  seeming  remoteness,  in  its 
\cry  narrowness  and  shut-in  character  where  nearly 
every  other  view  is  broad  and  swee])ing,  in  its  shadows 


LOS     ANGELES,     CALIFORNIA 


and  seclusion,  there  will  obviously  be  destruction  of 
the  reason  for  the  drive  if  we  cut  a  wide  boulevard 
through  its  length. 

Mv  idea  of  the  Arroyo  drive  is,  then,  a  conipara- 
tivelv  narrow  road,  with  mam^  sycamores  and  live- 
oaks  along  its  course ;  that  it  shall  wind  around  trees 
and  boulders  and  irregularities  of  topography,  like  a 
forest  road  of  the  East :  that  directness  and  breadth 
shall  be  avoided  rather  than  sought,  for  here  people 
should  drive,  not  to  gain  time,  but  pleasantly  to  spend 
it,  and  all  the  hurry  of  the  world  should  be  put  away. 
Where  practicable,  existing  streets  of  the  Arroyo 
ravine  mav  be  utilized ;  and  always  there  should  be 
effort  to  secure  as  many  park  tracts  as  pos- 
sible that  building  along  the  course  may  cease. 
lest  the  charm  of  the  way  depart.  The  de- 
velopment of  these  should  not  be  on  the 
model  of  Sycamore  Grove,  with  its  geraniums 
and  home-gardening  effects.  It  should  be  nat- 
ural— for  here  nature  and  the  trees  are  the  thing. 
It  should  invite  family  outings,  love-making  and  a 
forgetfulness  that  cities  are  at  hand.  The  so-called 
"islands"  should  tempt  one  to  climb  their  trails  and 
get  the  view;  Mineral  Park,  in  the  very  fastness  of 
the  ravine,  should  be  left  full  of  mystery  and  romance : 
a  bridle  path  should  wander  through  the  cafion, 
crossing  and  recrossing  the  stream  by  fords :  here 
and  there,  where  a  broad  space  opens,  there  may  be 
a  plavgrcamd.  but  it  must  not  intrude  on  the  quiet 
beauty  of  the  wa\-.  And  the  railroad  must  be  as  com- 
pletely hidden  as  possible. 

The  entrance  to  such  an  Arroyo  drive  may  be  just 
over  the  Pasadena-avenue  bridge,  whence  it  would  fol- 
low the  stream  to  the  city's  holdings  at  Sycamore 
Grove.  Passing  through  that,  it  should  proceed  on 
lines  to  be  determined  in  part  by  existing  streets  and 
in  part  bv  such  tracts  as  the  city  may  be  able  to 
secure :  but  always  in  the  general  type  of  development 
T  have  indicated.  This  cannot  be  urged  too  strongly. 
]\lv  own  preference  would  be  to  make  Griffin  avenue 
the  entrance,  using  this  as  it  skirts  the  hillside  of 
Montecito  Heights — where  it  opens  a  noble  view — 
and  then  at  Avenue  Forty-three  crossing  the  stream 
and  coming  down  to  the  lower  level.  This  should  in 
any  case  be  an  alternative  route,  for  Griffin  avenue  will 
then  make  a  direct  connection  with  Eastlake  Park. 

r,       J  There  is,  I  know,  a  strong  and  jus- 

R  f°^  J  tifiable  desire  for  a  broad  and  hand- 
some boulevard  between  Los  Angeles 
and  Pasadena.  But  I  am  sure  that  it  should  not  be 
put  through  the  Arroyo.  On  the  one  side  the  Hunt- 
ington boulevard  partly  cares  for  such  travel ;  and 
on  the  other  a  very  beautiful  scenic  boulevard  can  be 
laid  out  on  the  line  of  the  road  which,  turning  off  of 
San  Fernando  road,  follows  the  electric  railway  line 
to  Colorado  street,  in  Eagle  Heights.  This  opens  a 
Swiss-like  view  of  surprising  beauty.  From  the  termi- 
nus of  the  car  line,  where  the  carriage  road  now  climbs 
the  hill  to  pass  Eagle  Rock,  it  could — I  should  judge 
— be  taken  at  easy  grade  through  the  Ijeautiful  little 


wooded  canon  at  the  base  of  the  rock,  and  so  in  to 

Pasadena. 

p,        . ,  The    other    east    side    boulevards 

p    ,  must   have  to  do  with   the  east  side 

^  ^.  iiarks.       I    have    alreadv    spoken    of 

Connections.      ,  -rr  ■  ^-        ^ 

(.nmn    avenue    as    a    connection    to 

Eastlake    Park.      The    connection    from    the    business 

center  would  be  by  jNIission  road,  which  is  about  to  be 

widened  to  a  hundred  feet,  direct  to  Aliso  street ;   and 

by  the  straightened  Aliso  direct  to  the  Administrative 

Center.     This  would  make  a  good  drive  all  the  way 

and  offer  an  attractive  alternate  route  to  the  Arroyo. 

On  high  ground,  a  short  distance  south  of  East- 
lake  Park,  is  the  Hazard  Reservoir  site,  where  the 
city  has  alreadv  considerable  holdings,  dedicated  to 
]iark  and  playground  purposes,  though  not  yet  de- 
veloped. Connection  with  Eastlake  is,  of  course,  ex- 
ceedingly desirable,  and  there  ought  to  be  a  loop 
drive,  so  that  one  could  circle  through  this  property 
with  its  far  views  and  back  again  to  pretty,  shut-in. 


Private    Garden    Effect    Similar    to    Many    Now    Being 
Designed. 


Eastlake.  Mission  road  and  Griffin  avenue  would  be  a 
natural  course  one  way,  on  existing  streets ;  but  as 
the  county  owns  considerable  property  between  East- 
lake  Park  and  Griffin  avenue,  I  should  hope  that  a 
parkwav  strip  could  be  secured  through  that,  and  a 
new  and  novel  park  road  made  for  the  short  distance 
to  Griffin ;  thence,  direct  to  the  property,  where  the 
drive  and  walk  should  wind  around  the  hill,  circling 
the  reservoir — with  a  walk  to  the  hilltop — and  past  the 
playground  reservation  in  its  northeast  corner,  and 
so  to  San  Pablo  street  and  back  to  Eastlake. 

From  this  Hazard  Reservoir  property  to  Hollen- 
beck  Park,  St.  Louis  street  offers  a  good  connection. 
At  Hollenbeck,  the  most  necessary  work  seems  to  be 
the  filling  in  of  a  portion  of  the  bay  at  the  northwest 
corner,  opposite  the  Home,  so  as  to  get  a  good  curve, 
reduce  the  slope  of  the  bank,  and  secure  a  planting 
strip. 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


THE  OWENS  RIVER  AQUEDUCT 


Photo  Copyiiglit  hy  A.  A.   Forhi  s.   Bishop,  Cal. 


Owens   River   Near    Lone    Pine    Bridge. 


The  rajiid  increase  of  the  population  of  Los 
Ansi^eles  nwde  it  al)snhitely  necessary  to  provide  ad- 
(htional  water  sup])ly.  Every  conceivable  means  of 
obtaining-  more  water  in  the  vicinity  of  Los  Angeles 
was  investigated,  but  no  ^proposition  that  would  meet 
with  the  approval  of  the  Water  Commission  could  be 
found  and  not  until  Mr.  Fred  Eaton  presented  to  the 
representatives  of  the  City  of  Los  Angeles  his  project 
of  bringing  the  water  of  the  Owens  River  to  this  city 
(a  distance  of  2_|o  odd  miles),  was  the  problem 
finally  solved. 

The  idea  of  liringing  the  water  of  the  (  )wens 
l\i\er  to  the  City  of  Los  Angeles  originated  with  Mr. 
Eaton  in  1893.  Mr.  Eaton  was  for  several  years 
Engineer  and  Superintendent  of  the  Los  Angeles 
Citv  Water  Company.  He  was  subscf|uently  City 
Ivigineer.  In  1P93  he  was  engaged  in  llie  ranch 
business  in  ( )wens  \'alley,  where  he  resided  for  a  num- 
ber of  months.  Mr.  iCaton  did  not  ])ublicly  discuss 
this  idea.  His  training  as  engineer,  bt)th  for  the  city 
ard  with  the  Water  Company,  together  with  his  gen- 


eral knowledge  of  the  water  situation  in  and  arDund 
the  City  of  Los  Angeles,  peculiarly  (_|ualified  him  to 
judge  of  the  necessities  of  the  case,  and  the  merits  of 
this  ]iroject.  In  the  fall  of  1904  and  in  the  early 
s])ring  of  1905  Mr.  Eaton,  on  his  own  responsibility, 
and  at  his  own  expense,  began  obtaining  contracts 
and  o]itions  on  water-bearing  property  in  ( )wens  \'al- 
ley.  With  these  contracts  and  options  in  hmcl,  he 
first  presented  the  matter  to  rciiresentatives  of  the 
City  of  Los  Angeles  in  the  fall  of  1904  and  early  in 
the  year  1^05.  The  fir.st  idea  that  Mr.  Eaton  had 
concerning  the  handling  of  the  ])ro]iosition,  contenv 
plated  a  combined  private  and  nnmicipal  ])roject,  the 
cit\-  to  receive  10,000  miner's  inches  of  water  for 
domestic  uses,  and  the  surplus  water  to  be  available 
for  Mr.  Eaton  and  his  associates — for  disposal  outside 
of  the  city;  this  .surplus  water  to  pay  toll  for  the  use 
of  the  aqueduct,  and  all  water  to  be  available  in 
transit  for  the  benefit  of  the  corporation  for  purposes 
of  generating  power.  The  aqnednct  was  to  be  luiilt 
and  paid   for  by  the  city   and   have  a  capacity  of  at 


LOS     ANGELES.     CALIF0KNL4 


least  20,000  inches.  Mr.  Eaton  was  to  secure  all 
necessary  lands  and  water  rights,  and  to  deliver  the 
water  rights  without  cost  to  the  city.  The  Board  of 
\\'atcr  Commissioners,  as  well  as  other  city  officials, 
declined  this,  and  insisted  upon  an  exclusive  munici- 
pal ownership  and  control.  At  this  time,  the  U.  S. 
Reclamation  Service  was  investigating  the  Owens 
\'allev  project,  and  had  withdrawn  all  public  lands 
there,  including  reservoir  sites  and  had  filed  on  the 
water.  Air.  Eaton's  ])rogram  was  presented  to  the 
officials  of  the  Reclamation  Service,  including  Mr. 
F.  H.  Xewell.  Chief  Engineer,  and  Mr.  J.  I!.  Lippin- 
cott,  Supervising  Engineer,  for  the  first  time  in  the 
fall  of  1904.  Both  of  these  officers  of  the  Reclama- 
tion Service  took  the  stand  that  they  could  not  aid 
the  City  of  Los  Angeles  unless  the  project  was  ex- 
clusivelv  a  miunicipal  one. 

After  a  thorough  investigation  by  the  City's  Water 
Department  of  the  water  supply  of  the  Owens  River 
\'alley,  in  September.  1904,  at  which  time  of  the 
vear  the  waters  of  the  streams  in  that  valley  are 
usually  at  their  lowest  ebb,  and  a  careful  reconnois- 
ance  of  the  route,  to  determine  the  practicability  of 
the  constructing  of  a  canal  to  bring  the  water  to  the 
City  of  Los  Angeles,  the  Superintendent  reported 
favorably  on  the  adequacy  of  the  water  supply  and 
the  feasibility  of  constructing  a  canal  to  bring  to  the 
city  said  water  supply.  The  Board  of  Water  Com- 
missioners then  instructed  him  to  make  a  preliminary 
estimate  of  the  probable  cost  of  such  an  enterprise, 
with  a  view  to  getting  data  on  which  to  base  a  bond 
issue  for  the  purchase  of  the  Eaton  water  rights. 

In  this  transaction,  the  city  acquired  all  lands 
controlled  bv  Mr.  Eaton  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Rickey  ranch,  lying  south  of  the  north  line  of  Town- 
ship 10  South,  Range  34  East,  M.  D.  M..  embracing 
22,670  acres,  together  with  all  water  rights  appur- 
tenant thereto,  including  about  sixteen  miles  of  front- 
age on  the  Owens  River ;  also  an  easement  permitting 
the  use  perpetuallv  of  2684  acres  in  the  Long  \'alley 
reservoir  site  for  storage  purposes,  and  in  addition 
thereto,  options  held  by  Mr.  Eaton  on  large  tracts  of 
land,  with  extensive  frontage  on  the  river  below  the 
Rickey  property. 

The  commercial  organizations  of  the  city  were 
taken  into  the  full  confidence  of  the  Water  Commis- 
sioners, and  each  stej)  in  this  affair  was  fully  con- 
sidered by  them.  The  minutes  of  the  Board  of 
Water  Commissioners  were  ]nib!ic  documents  open 
to  inspection. 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  appointed  a  special 
committee  to  investigate  the  plan  of  the  Water  Com- 
missioners for  an  additional  water  supply,  and  the 
advisability  of  voting  the  $1,500,000  bond  issue  of 
September,  1905,  for  the  purchase  of  water  rights, 
making  survey  and  starting  construction,  and  after  a 
careful  investigation,  the  said  committee,  on  Septem- 
ber 1st.  made  a  report  entirely  favorable  to  the 
project. 

When  the  sul)jcct  was  presented  tu  the  voters  of 
Los  Angeles,  with  a  full  explanation,  in  September, 
1905,    $1,500,000    was    voted    by    them    to    pay     for 


these  bonds,  and  to  continue  the  investigations  and 
start  construction,  the  vote  being  in  favor  ot  the 
issue,  by  a  ratio  of  14  to  i,  which  is  probably  the 
greatest  majority  that  has  ever  been  given  to  any 
bond  issue  in  the  City  of  Los  Ange'es. 

The  Board  of  Water  Commissioners  now  promised 
to  employ  hydraulic  engineers  of  national  reputation 
to  pass  on  the  plans  and  cost  of  this  project.  In  ac- 
cordance with  this  agreement  a  Board  of  Engineers 
consisting  of  John  R.  Freeman,  Frederick  P.  Stearns 
pud  James  D.  Schuyler  were  so  employed.  ?*Ir. 
Stearns  at  that  time  was  Chief  Engineer  of  the  Metro- 
politan Water  Board,  which  has  constructed  and  is 
now  operating  the  w^ater  works  for  some  twenty 
towns  around  Boston  Bay.  He  was  President  of  the 
American  Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  Consulting 
Engineer  of  the  Panama  Canal,  and  Consulting 
Engineer  on  the  additional  water  supply  of  the  City 
of  New  York.  Mr.  John  R.  Freeman  is  a  past  Presi- 
dent of  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical  En- 
gineers. Consulting  engineer  for  the  additional  water 
supply  of  the  City  of  New  York,  former  Consulting 
Engineer  for  the  Metropolitan  Water  Board,  and 
lately  appointed  Consulting  Engineer  for  the  Panama 
Canal.  It  was  considered  particularly  desirable  to 
einp'oy  some  Western  Engineer  who  was  familiar 
with  the  cost  of  work  in  the  Southwest,  and  parlicu- 
larlv  with  conditions  in  Southern  California.  Mr.  J. 
D.  Schuyler  was  Assistant  State  Engineer  for  Cali- 
fornia from  1878  to  1882.  He  built  the  Sweetwater 
and  Hemet  dams,  and  has  been  connected  as  a  consult- 
ing engineer  with  the  construction  of  many  impor- 
tant domestic  and  irrigation  water  works  in  arid 
America  and  in  the  Hawaiian  Islands.  He  has  been 
\ice-President  of  the  American  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Institute  of  Civil 
Engineers  of  London.  He  was  engaged  for  the  City 
of  Los  Angeles  in  practically  all  of  the  litigation 
during  the  last  ten  years  relative  to  the  acquisition  of 
the  Water  Works  for  the  citv  and  for  the  protection 
of  its  water  rights. 

The  appointment  of  this  Board  was  the  result  of 
long  deliberation,  and  their  selection  was  made 
unanimously  at  a  joint  n'.eeting  of  the  City  Council, 
Board  of  Water  Commissioners.  Board  of  Public 
Works,  Merchants'  and  Manufacturers'  Association, 
Alunicijril  League  and  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 
Probabh'  no  stronger  aggregation  of  hydraulic  en- 
gineers was  ever  employed  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  The 
Bo''rd  convened  in  Los  Angeles  on  November  14, 
1906.  and  was  continuously  engaged  in  reviewing  this 
work  until  December  22,  1906.  Prior  to  that  time  Mr. 
Schuyler  made  two  trips  over  the  line  of  the  Aque- 
duct, and  Air.  Freeman  made  one  preliminary  visit 
to  the  city.  Eight  days  were  spent  by  all  on  the  ex- 
amination of  the  line  in  the  field,  and  the  balance  of 
the  time  was  spent  on  plans  and  estimates. 

They  estimate  the  cost  of  the  Aqueduct  proper 
as  $18,221,300.  After  adding  for  railway,  cement 
plant  and  other  accessories,  ineludhig  15  per  cent,  for 
contingencies,  they  reach  a  total  of  $23,110,700;  and 
thev  further  add   for  land  and  water  rights,  and   for 


THE     CITY     BEAUTIFUL 


Ictjal  and  titlicr  expenses  connected  with  their  acquisi- 
tiiin.  fn.ni  estimates  presented  bv  Messrs.  Mulholland 
and  Afatliews.  inchuhno^  whnt  has  already  been  ex- 
pended $1,375,000.  making:  a  total  of  $24,485,600. 
They  report  the  quality  of  water  satisfactory  The 
i!oard  desio-ned  sections  of  the  conduit  on  most  con- 
seryatu-e  hues,  and  based  their  estimates  thereon 
They  estnnated  the  time  necessary  for  construction 
atter  the  sale  of  the  bonds,  as  five  years.  No  insur- 
mountable eno;ineering  difficulties  w'ere  found.  The 
re])ort  concludes: — 

"W  e  find  the  project  admirable  in  conception  and 
o-tlme.  and  full  of  promise  for  the  continued  pros- 
peiity  of  the   City  of  Los  Angeles." 

The  next  steji  was  the  submitting  to  the  yoters  of 
the  city  the  issuance  of  $23,000,000"  in  bonds  for  the 
completion  of  the  aqueduct,  in  accordance  with  the  re- 
port of  the  engineer,  which,  if  carried,  vyould  at  that 
time  almost  reach  the  limit  of  our  bonding  power 


In  June,  1907.  the  election   was  iield  and  the  result 
was  over  ten  to  one  in  favor  of  the  bonds. 

The  Board  finds  that  the  conditions  for  the 
economic  deyelopment  and  maintenance  of  power  are 
very  favorable,  and  its  safety  against  interruption  or 
diminution  by  drought,  and  the  permanent  character 
of  the  aqueduct,  tend  to  make  the  power  development 
feature  particularly  attractive  and  valuable  \n  ex- 
perienced electrical  engineer  in  the  construction  of 
hydro-electric  power  plants  in  Southern  California 
has  made  a  detailed  estimate  on  the  cost  of  installin<r 
the  power  plants,  and  from  his  report  the  probable 
revenue  that  tlie  city  would  receive  from  the  sale  of 
water  power  would  more  than  pay  the  interest  on  the 
entire  bond  issue,  and  reduce  taxation  in  the  Cit\-  of 
Los  Angeles  at  least  25  per  cent. 

H.\RRv  y.  Lhi.axdk 

City  Clerk. 


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